


Expect the Unexpected

by ApomaroMellow



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien: Friend to all Kwamis, Alternate Universe - Magical Girls, CardCaptors AU, F/M, Marinette: Tired but Plucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-01-15 04:09:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 23,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21247247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApomaroMellow/pseuds/ApomaroMellow
Summary: Marinette accidentally releases magical cards created by a wizard, long ago. Now she has to catch them before they hurt anybody. And if that wasn't bad enough, she has to compete with some boy in a cat suit.And if THAT wasn't bad enough, a new boy has transferred into her class who she is absolutely tongue tied over.





	1. The Draw

**Author's Note:**

> just a short, kinda prologue to start this out and gauge interest. subsequent chapters should be longer. i DO have a lot of ideas for this au so feel free to hit me up on my tumblr about it

Marinette hummed to herself as she perused the selection of books in the library. She was looking for one in particular, but she always liked to browse first. Maybe she'd find the book she was searching for by chance. In the mean time, if she happened to see a title that interested her... She turned down another aisle and felt something welling up in her chest.

Something was calling out to her. She walked further down and her hands reached for a book high up on the shelf. Marinette's eyes glazed over as she pulled the book down and gazed at the cover. There wasn't any title or author. Just a ladybug. Taken over by a force she didn't understand, she opened the book and in a rushing whirlwind, cards began to fly out.

Taken aback by the sudden action, Marinette shielded her eyes. When it calmed down, she looked around to see it anyone else had seen or heard anything. But the aisle was empty and no one was running to see what the commotion was.

"What was that?", she asked to herself.

"You unleashed the cards", a high pitched voice answered.

Marinette looked up to see a little red creature floating slightly above her. She let out a shout and cowered against the bookshelf behind her.

"What is that thing?!"

"I'm not a thing. I am a kwami. My name's Tikki, nice to meet you."

"Kwa...mi...?" Marinette was still scared, but she was more confused than afraid right now.

"I can explain everything", Tikki smiled just as her stomach growled. "Ooh, after I eat, that is."

"Oh, you poor thing." Marinette put the empty book down and reached out and cradled Tikki in her hands. It was about time for lunch anyway. She was about to walk off when she remembered the book, wondering what she should do with it when something slowly floated from on high. Marinette moved Tikki to one hand and reached up. The lone card landed straight in her fingers, as if by a magnet.

She looked down at it and it had the image of a young man in a beret holding a pencil and sheets of paper. His eyes were closed in a peaceful expression. It had the title 'The Draw' written on the bottom.

"What is...?"

"That's the Draw card", Tikki said. "Are you an artist?"

"I uh, I like to design and make clothes", Marinette answered, suddenly self conscious.

Tikki smiled. "The Draw is a mild mannered card, attracted to creative types. Congrats on your first capture!"

"My uh, my what?"

* * *

A lively piano duet filled the room. Half played by human hands, the other half by a black cat kwami. Said kwami was enjoying himself when he suddenly froze, feeling something shift in the air.

"Plagg? What was that?", asked Adrien, having felt like the hint of warmth from the sun had brushed against him.

A box over on the nightstand emitted a glow from its compartments. Adrien went over to it and opened the box, releasing the several other kwami inside.

"Guys, what's going on?"

They all exchanged looks. They had all felt it too. Plagg was the one to speak up, having felt it the strongest.

"Tikki's awake. And so are the cards."

Adrien's expression turned from one of confusion to one of determination. It was time to fulfill his destiny.


	2. Chapter 2

She flipped the card around in her hands, still in disbelief, even after a few days. Tikki had explained the basics to her. The cards had been created by a powerful wizard and needed to be reclaimed before they hurt anyone. But something was still bugging her. The Draw's face was remarkably similar to a classmate of her's, Nathaniel.

"Tikki, why does the card look like him? Is he involved in this somehow?"

"When you seal a card, it becomes yours", Tikki said. "And thus, it takes on the form that you associate it with. That person in your card must be quite the artist."

"He's always drawing comics in class", Marinette shrugged with a smile. "And they're always really good, whenever I can see them."

"Well, with this card, whatever you draw will come to life", Tikki said.

Marinette set the card down on her desk and leaned back in her chair. "That'll come in handy. But I'm not sure how I can take care of the other cards with just one. Will they all be this easy?"

"Definitely not", Tikki said. "But, you won't just have the cards. You also have me."

"You have powers?"

Tikki nodded. "I can grant them to you so that you can collect the cards. Hold out your hand."

Marinette did as she was told and Tikki performed a little dance, the big, black dot on her forehead glowing. The room was covered in a glow and when it faded, there was a yo-yo in Marinette's hand. As Tikki instructed, he place the Draw card inside the yo-yo, knowing she would be able to call upon it at any time she pleased. She put the yo-yo in her purse, where Tikki also resided, before going off to school.

At school, she had other things to occupy her mind, such as the transfer of a new student. And in the middle of the year, too.

"Everyone, this is Adrien Agreste", Ms. Bustier announced.

Adrien beamed, his smile warm and welcoming. "It's nice to meet you all. I look forward to getting to know everyone."

Marinette swooned. She was practically melting in his light. She was so entranced, she didn't notice he was coming to sit behind her until he was only a few steps away. He sat down and she really, really, really wanted to turn around and introduce herself, but her words felt like little pebbles in her mouth and if she parted her lips it would be an all out avalanche.

So she kept facing forward, simply basking in the warmth she felt behind her as class continued. The day went on and Marinette had been thinking of a good way to ask Adrien to eat with her when she saw Chloe tugging at his elbow. They were all in the cafeteria and Adrien had been about to get in line when Chloe led him to her table where a delivered lunch was waiting.

Marinette frowned before getting in line herself.

"Turns out those two are childhood buds", Alya said, following her friend's line of vision.

"Those two? Really?"

Marinette still had her head turned towards Adrien and Chloe as bubbles began to float from the kitchen window, slowly getting bigger and bigger...


	3. The Bubble

Marinette was scrutinizing Chloe and Adrien from her table across the lunch room, trying to figure them out. Chloe was selfish and mean and petty and vengeful. How could she be friends with someone as handsome as Adrien?

"Maybe he's actually a jerk?", Alya suggested, actually eating her lunch instead of glaring daggers.

"I just can't believe that. Not when he has those bright, green eyes, and that warm smile and-" Marinette stopped with a gasp, feeling a shiver go up her spine.

She looked around and saw a bunch of bubbles floating around the room, slowly filling it and enclosing around people. It seemed they were unable to escape from them, as they banged on the inside, their screams muffled as if they were underwater. Marinette felt a sensation that went straight down to her bones. This was the work of a card.

"Mari-flbhph!" Alya's cry was cut off as a bubble swallowed her up.

Marinette wanted to reach out to her, but she wasn't sure if the bubble would take her too. She needed to be free in order to take care of it, but she didn't know what to do. The Draw card had just given itself to her. If she found where this card was hiding, would it give itself up as easily? What was she supposed to do? Fight it? She didn't know how to fight...well, bubbles.

She looked around and found almost everyone was in a bubble, trying to escape. For a moment, she panicked about Adrien but brushed it away. She couldn't think about that right now. If she captured the card, she could save everyone. Tikki had told her that once the card was sealed, the effects of it would be erased. But first she had to find it. That was the first step.

Marinette went into the bathroom and let Tikki out of her purse. "Tikki! Spots on!"

A red suit, dotted in black spots came over her. She ran out of the bathroom and back into the lunch room. The card had to be somewhere around here. Then she saw it, the bubbles coming from the kitchen. She dashed in only to find someone completely unbubbled there and fighting against the ones that came near him. He was dressed completely in black leather with cat ears upon his head.

When he turned, she saw the black mask across his pure green eyes.

"The Ladybug's here, great", he said. "Not that I need any help!" He proved it by bursting a bunch of the bubbles.

She had a lot of questions but really, she'd settle if only one of them was answered, so she shouted it out. "Who are you?"

"Chat Noir. Pleasure to meet you. Now where are all these bubbles coming from?"

The newly named Ladybug searched around the kitchen. If she was a bubble-making machine. Where would she be? Then she realized it just before seeing it for herself.

"The dishwasher!", she pointed to it, bubbles foaming from the edges.

Cat Noir went right for it, opening it and holding up his staff to fend off the bubbles that shot at him. He swirled his baton around him, a green magic circle appearing beneath his feet.

"Oh card of awesome power, I Chat Noir, Guardian of the Miraculous command you, return!"

Ladybug watched as he slammed his staff down, it stopped as if coming into contact with something and the bubbles swirled around him, joining back into one before transforming into a card. The card landed right into Chat Noir's hand and he grinned.

"You know, we're supposed to be partners, but I'm thinking I could do all of this on my own."

Ladybug's cheeks reddened and she frowned. "Hey! Without me, you wouldn't even have known where to look for the card!"

"I would've figured it out eventually. I guess I'll see you on the next go around Miss Bug."

"Wait! What about the students!", she reminded him. "They're still in bubbles!"

"The ladybug kwami didn't tell you much about the other kwami's powers, did they? The card is sealed, so all those bubbles are gone now. And when sealed by a black cat, it erases the memories of anyone who isn't a miraculous holder."

"So...none of them will remember this?"

"Not a one. But your miraculous is the one that can repair any damage from a card." He gestured to the overtaxed dishwasher then leaned against his staff. "Besides that, I'm starting to think I don't need someone else using the ladybug. You should just give me your miraculous before you get hurt."

He held his hand out expectantly and she looked back and forth between his open palm and his eyes.

"No...no way! I'm not giving it to you!" She ran out, going back to the bathroom, waiting to see if he gave chase. When he didn't appear, she de-transformed and carefully left the bathroom. In the cafeteria, the other students were confused, trying to make sense of their changed positions and the loss of time. Lunch was almost over.

"Hey, did something happen?", Alya asked Marinette when she returned to their table.

"Nothing happened!", Marinette said quickly.

Nothing besides having to deal with a more aggressive card, attaining a rival for capturing them, and not even getting this one. Marinette had refused to give up her miraculous, but she was wondering if she was truly cut out for this.


	4. The Storm

Gabriel held the Bubble card in his hands, having just been presented the card by his son. His lips twisted into an evil grin. Things were finally beginning to move.

"Excellent work, my son. What of the ladybug miraculous?"

Adrien fidgeted with the silver ring on his finger, head hung low and eyes averted. "I... was unable to retrieve it. The user wouldn't give it to me."

"It shouldn't be given to you. You need to take it", Gabriel said in a harsh tone. "It is your birthright."

"Yes father."

"Next time, I want you to present it to me. Do not disappoint me."

"Yes father."

Dismissed, Gabriel returned the card to Adrien, who went back to his room where Plagg and the other kwamis were waiting. He put the card in a hollowed out book and fell to his bed with a sigh.

"You know what always cheers me up?", Plagg grinned. "Food! We should have a big dinner to celebrate you capturing your first card."

The other kwamis made noises of agreement. Adrien smiled at their attempt to make him feel better, but he just couldn't get in the mood for it. He sat up and pulled his knees to his chest.

"Thanks guys. But I'm not all that hungry."

"You should feed when you can", Sass said. "The next card might not be so easy to capture."

"He's right", Pollen said. "They're not all as easy as the Bubble."

Plagg groaned. "More work. All the more reason we should be eating. Why do I have to be the main miraculous anyway?"

"Because yours is perfect for keeping the secret of the cards and the miraculous", Sass replied.

Kaalki let out a 'hmph'. "We'd all like to be principal miraculous. But there aren't exactly many holders to go around, now is there?"

"I'm sorry, Kaalki", Adrien said, giving her mane a pat. "I'm getting better at unification though, right? Soon, I'll be able to use you guys in battle with Plagg."

"Which just means I'm still on the clock", Plagg complained.

"Which means you'll be compensated properly. Come on. Father will probably be too busy to have dinner with me anyway." Adrien got out of bed and the kwamis followed him out of the room to the kitchens.

* * *

Marinette's eyes were glued to Adrien's form as he stretched with Nino. How could something so mundane look so beautiful? And graceful? And artful? And just so utterly perfect in every way?

"Earth to Marinette!", Alya shouted. "We've gotta get ready for the three-legged race. Have you finished stretching?"

"Uh, yeah! Totally!"

"You were drooling over Adrien, weren't you?"

Marinette blushed at being caught. She couldn't help it. It had pretty much been love at first sight. Adrien was like the sunshine. She couldn't get enough of him. In the week that he'd been at their school, she'd come to know that he was nothing like Chloe. He was kind and sweet. And now he was friends with Nino, which put him in her social circle.

Which didn't mean all that much had changed in their relationship, seeing as Marinette got tongue-tied whenever Adrien spoke to her. But today would be different. Today was field day, which meant sports, camaraderie, and the chance to actually say something to him.

Everyone started making their way to the starting line and tying their ankles together. Adrien and Nino were already tied up and ready to go. Marinette knelt down to tie up her an Alya when rain began to drizzle, then it was falling, then it was pelting.

"Where'd all this rain come from?!", Alya shouted as she and Marinette ran for cover under a tree. That soon proved to be meaningless as the wind picked up, throwing the rain every which way. Those that were bound together struggled to keep their footing and most fell over in heaps. The rain knocked over the equipment, as well as the booths that held refreshments and had other games.

It was just sunny a moment ago and now they were in the middle of a thunderstorm. In fact, Aurore, one of the girls at Marinette's school, had predicted nothing but clear skies all day when she had reported the weather this morning. The wind started pushing people around and everyone began to head inside. Marinette was about to do the same when she felt a strange pull to go into the wind, not against it.

"Is this...a card...?", Marinette hid behind a tree until she was sure just about everyone was inside. She called out to Tikki and transformed. Now she was protected a bit more, thanks to the suit, but she had no idea how to stop a storm. She remembered learning about the weather cycle and how storms formed, but it wasn't like she could effect the winds herself.

But what if she could?

Ladybug took out the Draw card and activated it. The moment she did, the chest and torso of her suit turned white with dark stripes and a triad of blue, red, and yellow circles in the center. A beret at the top of her head and a drawing tablet attached to her wrist finished off the transformation. Ladybug first drew a jet pack on herself so that she could move around easily in the air.

The next thing she drew was a giant hair dryer. She had it blow hot air directly at the center of the storm, weakening it. Ladybug could feel it. Now was the time. She grabbed her yo-yo and started swinging it around.

"Card of awesome power! Return to your true form!"

The clouds, rain, and wind all swirled around until it concentrated and became a card, sealed under Ladybug. The Storm. The skies began to clear and she looked down at the ground. Everything had been put back together when she captured the card. She descended and released the Draw, then detransformed. Slowly, people poked their heads out to see if the storm had passed.

Alya ran out right to Marinette and crushed her in a hug. "Where were you?! Miss Bustier did a head count and no one knew where you where! Were you out here the whole time?!"

"I uh, hid in one of the booths that didn't fall over", Marinette said. "And then everything cleared up a few minutes ago, so I've been out here, putting everything back." She gestured to the 'everything' that was indeed back into place as if the rain had never come. Alya looked at all of it in awe.

"Marinette, you're a real hero."


	5. The Copy

Adrien had been dreading telling his father that not only had he not gotten the Ladybug miraculous, he also didn't capture the Storm card. But the moment had passed and now his father was back to being indifferent to his existence. But because his father threatened to take him out of school, thinking it might be a distraction, Adrien threw himself into his training.

The room was large but windowless, keeping his secret. Not that most would be able to see him outside anyway. The Agreste mansion was out of the way and hidden by trees on their large plot of land. He practiced his moves with a staff and about an hour in, his bodyguard came in to give him an opponent. The man was silent, but large and waited for Adrien to get ready. He called on Plagg first, transforming into Cat Noir, then grabbed the Turtle miraculous, putting it on his wrist.

"Plagg! Wayzz! Unify!"

His training went on for another hour after that. He was tired and sweating and drained from using two miraculous for that long. But his father had high hopes for him. It was all in service of their wish. If he could only get stronger, he could use even more miraculous at once.

He was glad when he got a break at school. But it seemed that there was something going on when he got on the grounds.

"Don't play dumb! I know you broke my skates Kim!", Alix shouted her accusations while presenting the broken skates.

"I didn't do that!", he denied. "But I did see Nathaniel making off with Max's lunch."

Nathaniel bristled at that. "Wh-why would I do that? I can get my own lunch."

Kim crossed his arms. "I saw it, clear as day!"

Adrien went up to Chloe. "What's going on?", he asked.

Chloe immediately wrapped around one of his arms. "Oh their just fighting over petty little things. He did this, she did that. Who cares? It's not like their stuff is important."

"Then you won't mind explaining this?", Alya said, whipping out her phone and showing a picture of Chloe scribbling marker all over one of Nathaniel's sketches.

Chloe scoffed. "I didn't do that!"

Adrien's eyes narrowed. Unfortunately, he couldn't rule out the possibility that Chloe had done something so mean, but it didn't seem likely that everyone had gone behind each other's backs to commit these acts all on the same day. He felt a shiver go up his spine and turned, seeing a shadowy figure go behind the school. He pulled away from Chloe and gave a quick excuse before running off.

This was the presence of a card, he was sure of it. But what sort of card could do something like this? Adrien ran to the back of the school and instead of the nebulous appearance of a card, he found Marinette instead.

"Marinette? What are you doing here?", he asked.

She didn't answer and instead started walking towards him. Adrien hadn't known her long, but something about her seemed off. The Marinette he'd come to know what more talkative and expressive. This one hadn't even said good morning to him. Then he realized the presence was strongest here just as Marinette stomped on his foot.

"Ouch! What did you-"

"Watch out!", Ladybug shouted, swinging off her yo-yo from the roof. Her bangs had a white streak through them and her twin tails were longer with white going through the dark strands. She landed in front of Adrien and pointed a violet umbrella at Marinette. She blew a harsh wind at Marinette, pinning her against the wall and weakening her.

Adrien watched as Ladybug captured the card, and he knew the effects from it had been erased when the dull pain in his foot was gone. Only then did she turn to him and look him over.

"Are you okay? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"Just stepped on my foot. I'm fine", Adrien smiled. "But, where's the real Marinette?"

"She's uh, probably somewhere else. This was just a copy, don't worry. And um, let's keep this our little secret, okay?", Ladybug asked, putting a finger to her lips.

Adrien nodded and she swung her yo-yo up to the roof, flying out of sight. Adrien went inside to find that mostly everything had been resolved, although no one had an explanation why. Max's lunch had been found in his locker, Alix's skates were fixed. Nathaniel's drawing was still ruined though, proving that Chloe had in fact been the culprit.

He was glad that things had been resolved, but Adrien still felt like a failure for not getting the card for a second time in a row. His father wouldn't be happy about this. Adrien had to do better. He had to be better.

Failure wasn't an option in their family.


	6. The Hatred

"You've been doing very well Marinette", Tikki said, sitting atop the book that was slowly but surely filling with cards.

"Yeah, but should I be worried? All the cards have shown up at school so far", Marinette pointed out.

"The cards are drawn to those with strong magic. And you've got lots of it", Tikki explained.

Marinette smiled at that. She couldn't help but feel a little proud, even though she had no idea why she had strong magic. No one in her family had ever talked about magic before. Before meeting Tikki, that sort of thing was just the stuff of fairy tales.

"What about that Cat Noir guy?", she asked. "Wouldn't the cards be drawn to him too?"

Tikki nodded. "So you must be vigilant. They could appear at any time. And if a card is drawn to him, anywhere too."

Marinette let out a sigh. After the bubble incident, Tikki had told her there were more miraculous out there. They were meant to be together with the cards, but had been separated some time ago. The person who had found the Black Cat miraculous must be trying to unite them. But Tikki had no way of knowing who and for what purpose.

She seriously doubted that someone as laid back as Plagg had instilled a sense of urgency in collecting the cards. Whoever was behind Cat Noir's mask wanted to cards and Tikki didn't know why. Marinette got ready for school and met with Alya halfway there. She could only hope that today would be a normal day.

And thankfully, it was.

So Marinette had faith that her afternoon would be normal too and she couldn't wait. She was going out with Alya, Adrien, and Nino to the arcade. And Alya had already promised to make sure she and Adrien got a little alone time. Marinette was nervous, but if it was video games, she couldn't lose. Literally. She was a pro. It would be the perfect chance to show Adrien her cooler side.

When they arrived, they got their tokens and went off to the games. Occasionally, they heard people arguing about the results of a match, but that was nothing new. Alya and Nino killed it at the dance game, being perfectly in sync. Marinette tried, but knowing that Adrien was dancing right next to her threw off her rhythm. Of which she had little to begin with.

But when she stumbled and fell against Adrien, he simply caught her and smiled.

"Are you okay?", he asked.

"Yeah! Fotally tine! I mean totally fine!" She wanted to melt in Adrien's arms but instead backed away, not wanting to give herself away.

"You should see Marinette in a fighting game", Alya said. "She looks nice now but she's a beast in the virtual world."

"Really now?", Adrien looked to Marinette, intrigue showing in his expression.

She and Adrien went up to the console for Blood Tournament 3 and picked their fighters. Adrien was no slouch, leading Marinette to wonder if he was a gamer in his spare time or if he was just perfect in everything. Marinette beat him twice in a row and was going for a third when they both felt a shiver go up their spines. It couldn't be. Not here. Not now.

All around them, people began to argue more and more. And the fights began to escalate. Marinette looked to Alya and Nino and even they were arguing.

"Something isn't right", Adrien said. "I'm going to try and find some help."

Marinette nodded. His leaving gave her a chance to run off and transform. As Ladybug, she came back out onto the game floor. Her eyes scanned the room for anything strange and that was when she saw it. A winged little creature, shooting arrows left and right.

"Hey! Cut that out!", she demanded, running towards it.

"It's mine!", Chat Noir shouted, jumping in and swinging his baton. An arrow was loosed and Ladybug got between him and the card, shielding them both with her yo-yo.

"Watch out for the arrows", she said.

"Aww, giving me advice? You do care", he grinned.

Seeing that they were the only threat, the card continued to shoot arrows at them. Ladybug may have been a superhero, but she couldn't keep this up all day.

"We need a plan", she said, willing to work with him just this once. Things were starting to get ugly in the arcade.

"Just leave it to me, Bugaboo."

"Buga...what?" In her distraction, Ladybug's yo-yo stopped shielding them and Chat Noir grabbed her by the shoulders, moving her out of the way. She saw him take a bracelet out of a small box attached to his belt.

"I've been wanting to try this out", he said, putting the bracelet on. "Plagg! Wayzz! Unify!"

A light enveloped him and when his faded, his black suit now had green accents. There was a hood on his head with cat ears and a shell on his back. Ladybug looked at him in awe. She was going to have some questions for Tikki later. He took the shell off his back and wielded it as a shield, running back into the fray. This time he was prepared for defense as well as offense and was able to beat the card into submission.

He captured the card and as it was sealed everyone turned back to normal. He looked down at the card's name with intrigue.

"The Hatred, huh? Well, I guess it's useful to for your enemies."

Alya was the first to notice the two heroes in the arcade. She couldn't remember what had happened, but one look at wrecked arcade told her it was something big, so she took out her phone.

"Are you guys real superheroes? What happened? Why can't I remember anything?"

"Sorry little miss, but that's strictly classified", Chat Noir said.

"We'll see about that", Alya grinned. "I always find out the truth."

Ladybug didn't doubt that. She'd kept her crush on Adrien a secret for all of five minutes before Alya had found out. But she couldn't let her find out about this. It was too dangerous.

"Believe me when I say it's for your safety", Ladybug said before taking off. Alya would be asking where Marinette was soon. Chat Noir left as well and she couldn't help but think that he must've been in the arcade as well to have arrived on the scene so quickly.


	7. The Horror

Marinette held tightly onto Alya's hand as they walked through the darkened halls of the hotel. The light on Alya's phone the only thing they had to show them the way. Marinette held it, hesitantly leading the way forward. She tried quelling the rising fear of dread but it was hard when every step felt like it might be her last. When her breathing got so hard that she could hear it, Marinette took a pause to try and calm her heart.

"Don't worry, Alya. Everything's gonna be okay", she said, squeezing her other hand but suddenly finding nothing there.

She turned and saw Alya running in the opposite direction. Marinette ran after her. "Where are you going? Wait!"

Alya turned a corner and by the time Marinette got there, the hallway was empty. Marinette turned the light this way and that but there was no denying it now. She was completely alone. She backed into a wall and slid down, pulling her knees up to her chest.

It had started as a movie night held in the hotel that Chloe lived in. Apparently Adrien had gotten on her case about being nicer to people. And she was trying. And it had actually been going well. But then the power went out. And then weird images showed upon the screen. They had gone in a group to investigate, but Chloe had split off with Sabrina, Kim, and Max to go to the safety of her suite, leaving the rest of them to find out what was going on.

Marinette knew this was the work of a card, but she didn't know what it was doing. She had left Tikki in her purse back in the room where they had been watching the movie. And now, in all of this darkness, she couldn't find her way back.

One by one, everyone had disappeared. They either saw something and ran off, or disappeared into the shadows right before her eyes. Nino, Adrien, Ivan, Mylene, everyone.

And now Marinette had no one and no way to fight this card.

"What are you doing on the floor, Dupain-Cheng?", Chloe sneered.

"Chloe? I thought you left to go to your room?" Marinette quickly wiped her face and stood up.

Chloe had her own phone's light on, showing her the way. "Well, I was, but then Sabrina and the others ran away, those cowards. Where's everyone else?"

"Everyone else is gone!", Marinette shouted. "They're gone and there's no way out of here!"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You just need someone who knows this hotel like the back of her hand. Come on." Chloe turned, flipping her hair in the process and leading the way confidently down the hallway.

"Where are you going?", Marinette asked after scrambling to her feet.

"To the lobby where the security office is", Chloe said. She took them to the elevator and pressed the button. When it didn't light up, she pressed it over and over again.

"The power's out Chloe", Marinette reminded her.

"Then we'll just need the stairs." Chloe stomped further down the hall until they got to the stairwell. They went down multiple flights of stairs and left out, only to find themselves on a floor that clearly wasn't the lobby. Marinette shined a light on the room numbers and they were in the five-hundreds.

"Chloe, I thought you lived here?!"

"I do! This isn't right. We went down all those stairs! We should be on the first level by now!"

Marinette knew she was right. They'd been on the third floor earlier. They really should be on the first floor since they went down. And yet it was as if they'd gone up a few instead.

"Explain what's happening Dupain-Cheng! Make this make sense!"

"If I could, I would have already!", Marinette shouted back.

Chloe flinched and took a few steps back, then she turned and ran. Marinette felt her veins freeze over at the prospect of being alone again. She ran after Chloe, calling her name, but the other girl disappeared just as the rest. Marinette dropped Alya's phone and sank to the floor again. She didn't know how to fight this card or what it was even doing.

And even if she did, she couldn't seal it without getting to Tikki. Marinette felt her fear consume her and for a moment it would have been so easy to sink into the shadows. To let everything she had ever been afraid of take control.

That was when she realized.

Fear.

Just as in the arcade when the Hatred appeared and she had felt boundless animosity, here she felt nothing but scared. Marinette didn't have the ladybug's powers, or any other miraculous right now, but she was always able to feel the magic of the cards whenever they were nearby. She had to do something. She had to try.

Taking a deep breath, she rose to her feet and focused all of her power onto the feeling that the card was trying to invoke. Before her, a black cloud appeared, formless, unknown, the essence of the emotion. Marinette held her hands out in front of her.

"Return to your true form", she commanded.

The mist rolled into a tight sphere and in a flash of light, was replaced with a card that floated down into Marinette's hands, the Horror. Immediately, the lights flickered back on and the silence lifted as Marinette could hear other people in the hotel. She let out a breath of relief. Everyone was safe.


	8. The Blade

The first time Adrien had practiced fusing miraculous and fought with them, he found that he couldn't go too long before getting tired. Having to take on the taxing power of two kwamis drained him more quickly that just one. He had said as much to his father as soon as he realized it.

"I don't think I can do this on my own", Adrien said. He was thinking to all the kwamis they had. Maybe his bodyguard or even Nathalie could join him in capturing the cards.

"We Agrestes are soloists", Gabriel said, not even looking up from his computer. "You just need to master fusion. I'm certain you can find the strength to use even more than two at once."

Adrien felt his bones grow weary just at the thought of it. He could barely handle two right now. Anymore than that and he might...he might...

"If that's all, you are dismissed", Gabriel said.

At times, Adrien felt less like his son and more like another employee. He left his father's study and on the way back to his room, paused by a picture of his mother. Everything would be good again once they were in possession of all the cards and all of the miraculous.

It was just a few weeks after this conversation that he would begin going to a new school.

* * *

"Dude, what's up? Why the long face?", Nino slid into his seat next to Adrien.

He immediately brightened up a bit at seeing Nino. Just being around his friends was enough to cheer him up. He loved the kwamis dearly, but it was nice to have peers his own age that he could actually go out with.

"Just thinking about...exams..." Adrien had actually been moping about the fact that Ladybug had captured four cards while he only had two. He had to get back on the board or else who knew what his father might do.

"I wouldn't worry about that. You've got some of the best grades in class", Nino assured him.

"Thanks, man."

"You know what always cheers me up?"

A moment later, the two of them were playing Super Penguino on Nino's tablet, both holding one side of it and manning half of the controls.

"Don't forget the-"

"I see it. You watch out for the-"

"Got it!"

While they played in tandem from their seats, Marinette watched them from the door and let out a dreamy sigh as Alya came up.

"I wish I could as in sync as that with Adrien", she said. As it stood, she was still barely able to stutter out a few words with him. It was better than Adrien's first day, when all she did was babble nonsense.

Alya was about to reply when Miss Bustier came into the room and went to her desk. Everyone else began to come at that time and Marinette and Alya went to their seats. Miss Bustier was about to call for attendance when Chloe burst in, panting.

"Chloe, if you're going to be late, please be courteous about it", Miss Bustier said.

"Some maniac just tried to slice and dice me!", Chloe screamed. She certainly looked disheveled like she had been attacked but of course, everyone was a little skeptical of her claims. That is until Sabrina ran in panting and with part of her sleeve torn.

"She's right, there's someone with a sword attacking us!"

"You two have a seat. I'll look into this", Miss Bustier said, leaving the room.

"Chloe was actually telling the truth for once?", Alix commented.

"Hey!"

Both Marinette and Adrien felt a presence that got stronger until a girl in armor approached their class room, sword in hand. She pointed the tip to Chloe. Kim immediately came to her rescue, brandishing a ruler. Chloe ran out of the classroom and many of the others followed after her as Kim tried to fight the card. He was disarmed instantly and the card looked for another opponent.

Marinette was the last to leave the room and stood in the doorway with a ruler of her own. "Hey! I challenge you!"

"Marinette!", Alya and Adrien called out in unison when they noticed at the same time their friend wasn't running with them.

"You guys get everyone to safety! I'll draw them away!", Marinette said before taking off, leading the card in the opposite direction down the hallway. Marinette had zero experience with sword fighting, but didn't intend to fight that way. She just had to get the card to a secluded place so that she could transform. She turned a corner and the card ran past.

Marinette slipped into a handy closet and transformed, running after it. When the card registered a new opponent, it went on the offensive. While Ladybug went on defense, using her yo-yo as a shield, she tried thinking of what card she could use to subdue this one when Cat Noir jumped in, knocking the sword from the card's hands.

The sword clattered to the floor and then disappeared. A new one appeared in her hands and she went after Cat Noir this time. He was able to hold his own with his baton but as Ladybug tried to step in, they tripped over each other and fell to the ground. Before getting sliced and diced, they rolled out of the way and tried again, only to fall out of sync again.

"You need to match your steps with mine", Ladybug said.

"Five years of fencing say you need to be matching mine", Cat Noir countered.

Their fight migrated through the halls and into the gym, where a few of the students had taken refuge. Rose, Juleka, and Nathaniel left out as soon as they saw the fight had found its way here. Alya stayed to record and Nino stayed to make sure Alya didn't do anything reckless. Like run right out in the middle of the gym while the superheroes were fighting.

The sword-wielding card noticed the interloper getting closer and closer to the action and turned its sights on Alya. Nino pushed her away in time to receive the kick to the stomach instead of her. He doubled over in pain.

"You! Get somewhere safe!", Ladybug shouted to Alya.

"But-"

Cat Noir got between the card and his friends. "Go! I'll keep him safe", he nodded to Nino.

Alya left hesitantly, having faith in the heroes. Ladybug took the card's attention this time while Cat Noir took Nino into the boy's locker room. He sat him down carefully.

"That was pretty brave back there", Cat Noir said.

"And stupid, right?", Nino asked.

"That...remains to be seen." Cat Noir held up a bracelet. "Think you can be a shield again? Not using your stomach this time, I promise."

Nino's eyes got wide. "You mean...be a superhero like you?"

"You'll have some abilities like me. But only I or Ladybug can actually capture that card out there. So when the time is right, just let me do my thing", Cat Noir explained.

While they were in the locker room, Ladybug was keeping the card at bay. She could use the Draw to distract it or the Storm to disorient it but it was hard to get a free second to even summon a card. She was backed into a corner of the gym when Cat Noir jumped in again. But this time he was joined by someone else. She looked on in confusion as black cat and turtle fought side by side.

One attacked the card while the other blocked. And they moved not like two people but just one person. Cat Noir gave the final blow, disarming the card and bringing them to their knees. Defeated, the card allowed itself to be sealed. While the two boys shared a high-five, Ladybug looked on, feeling out of her depth. Cat Noir had all the other miraculous, knew how to use more than one at once, and now he had allies.

Just what did she have?


	9. The Animal

Marinette fell face first onto her bed. First Cat Noir got the card, then the next day they had a pop quiz in History she hadn't been prepared for, then her favorite ice cream wasn't at the store today. It had been a hard week for her.

"Tikki it isn't fair", she said, lifted her head just slightly to talk. "Cat Noir has all the other miraculous at his disposal. I don't even know the powers all the other miraculous hold. He could beat me in an instant."

"But he hasn't Marinette", Tikki told her. "In fact, right now, you have more cards than him."

"Yeah, just one though", Marinette pouted. The current score was 4-3. But in her eyes, he could turn the tide at any time. And it made her wonder why he hadn't tried to take her miraculous more forcefully. He would have been a tough opponent to beat. She was ready to stay in bed for the rest of the day when her phone buzzed with a reminder. She picked it up and then jumped to her feet when she saw the notification.

"I forgot! We're going to the zoo today!" She began to gather her things for the day out, including the cards. She carried them around all the time now to be prepared for any situation. Tikki swooped into her purse as well and they were off. Marinette met Alya at the bus stop and then the two of them met Nino at the entrance to the zoo.

"No sign of Adrien yet?", Alya asked.

"Wha-!? Adrien's coming?!", Marinette squawked. "I didn't know! I'm not ready! My hair's a mess! My outfit-!"

"Chill girl", Alya patted her shoulder. "You look fine."

"I invited him pretty short notice. Just this morning", Nino said. "He said he'd come but you know him."

They waited a few minutes more while Marinette practically hopped in place. Soon a car drove up and Adrien came out, waving his chauffeur away. He turned and smiled at them.

"Hey guys."

Pleasantries out of the way, they made their way inside to enjoy all the animals. Alya's father worked there so Alya knew whenever there'd be new animals and exhibits before anyone else. And there was one that Marinette definitely wanted to see. The capybara exhibit just recently welcomed new babies into the world. And capybaras were practically giant hamsters. And there'd be babies! Which makes them mini-giant-hamsters!

But they weren't the first stop. The capybaras were deeper in the zoo and there was a bunch of stuff to see before getting to them. There were playful monkeys, majestic lions, some rather idle zebras, and more. After a while, they were getting closer to the main event and decided to stop for lunch. Adrien, Alya, and Nino got in line to procure the food while Marinette found them a table, glad for the shade and to rest her feet.

While she waited, she looked at the pictures she'd already taken to see how they were coming along. A smile grew on her face as she scrolled through them. A video of Nino perfectly imitating a bird call. A photo Alya had taken that had the perfect composition with the sunlight hitting her, the boys, and the gazelle just right. And a solo one of Adrien posed perfectly with him leaning against the railing of an exhibit and a panther in the background on the opposite side. He looked like something out of a magazine spread.

Meanwhile Marinette had her eyes closed in half the pictures.

She let out a sigh just as Adrien came to sit next to her with four drinks. His eyebrows pinched together when he saw the expression on her face.

"Something the matter?"

"Huh? Oh! No! It's nothing! Nothing at all...", Marinette trailed off, looking away from him.

"It doesn't seem like it", Adrien pressed. "I've never seen you look like that before. You're always smiling."

"I...guess I just didn't feel much like smiling just then", Marinette shrugged. "I'm sorry. We're supposed to be having fun today. And I am! It's just... nevermind. I was just thinking about something stupid."

Adrien put a hand on her shoulder, causing her heart to skip a beat and realize she was actually carrying a conversation with him.

"It's not stupid if it's making you feel bad", he said.

Marinette finally met his eyes and seeing that he truly cared had her feeling less vulnerable. Of course, she couldn't tell him about magical cards needing capturing, but maybe she could get close.

"I was thinking how you guys are all so good at something. Nino's got his music, Alya her photojournalism, and you...you're just good at everything!", she exclaimed, gesturing at Adrien's entire self. "I don't have anything like that. I guess I was just feeling, you know, inadequate."

"You?", Adrien said in disbelief. "You feel inadequate? And compared to me?"

Marinette nodded, forcing Adrien to set the record straight.

"You are not in the least bit inadequate. Not in anything I've seen since moving into town. You get the best grades in class, you're always helping everyone, you don't let Chloe push you around, you're loyal and a great friend. You're beautiful too, gorgeous actually and-" He cut himself off when he realized he was venturing into territory that wasn't quite meant for friends.

As Adrien paused, he gazed into Marinette's eyes. She looked like she was waiting for him to continue, even leaning in a little, but the words flew away from Adrien's tongue. His heart quickened and he felt his stomach tying in knots as it got harder to breathe. Then he felt the hairs on the back on his neck stand on end. He swallowed, trying to summon something to say when people began to make noises further down the pathway.

People began to part for a little penguin waddling around. The penguin didn't look too much in a hurry and people took pictures, confused but entertained. Then the penguin eyed the lion toy being held by a child and shapeshifted into a full grown lion. That was a little more threatening than a little arctic bird. People began to scream and run away. Adrien stood, grabbing Marinette's hand and taking off.

"Wait!", she shouted. "You go find Alya and Nino! I'm going to make sure zoo security knows about this."

"Okay. Be careful", Adrien said. And to think just a moment ago she'd been doubting herself. But here she was, mind clear in a crisis situation. Adrien continued off in the opposite direction while Marinette went down the path that led to guest services. But instead of reporting, she went behind the building and transformed. She couldn't believe she hadn't sensed the card until it was right on her.

Ladybug then followed the path of chaos. The lion had turned into a gorilla and was slowly stalking down the path, looking around at the people that ran from it. Before Ladybug could make a move, she heard a voice call out.

"Someone needs to teach this furball some manners", Cat Noir said, falling from the air and landing in front of the gorilla.

The gorilla took in his aggressive stance and beat its chest before charging. Ladybug went up a tree just above them and flung out her yo-yo, pulling Cat Noir out of the way and interrupting his attack.

"Hey!"

"The only ill-mannered furball around here is you", Ladybug said.

"I totally had that!", Cat Noir argued.

"The average strength of a gorilla versus a human says otherwise", she countered with a smirk. She pulled him up to stand on the branch with her and they observed the card in the form of an animal.

"There's a lot of people around", Ladybug said. "And the card can change form. We need to be smart about this."

Cat Noir frowned. "We? Since when do we work together?"

"Oh? So you only work with turtles?"

"That was a special circumstance. I can take care of this one." He jumped out of the tree and followed after the gorilla that had continued to walk calmly after the terrified crowds.

Ladybug groaned but went after him, keeping a distance so that she could figure out a way to defeat the card. It passed by the panther enclosure and shifted into one of them, letting out a low grumble as it stalked the mob. Cat Noir jumped between them. The panther took him in again and emanated threatening sounds. Cat Noir let out a roar of his own and lunged toward it, swinging his baton.

The panther bared its teeth and met Cat Noir with its large paws. Cat Noir dodged and tried to land a hit, only for his baton to be the only thing between him and a menacing jaw of fangs.

While he faced off against the card, Ladybug was going over her options. Maybe using the the Horror would get the card afraid, but she'd never used it before. She wasn't sure if the cards could feel things like fear. She could always use the Storm but she didn't want to scare or harm the real animals. And something had been tugging at the back of her mind about this card's behavior anyway.

Cat Noir summoned the bubble, his black cat suit speckled with colorful circles and tried and catch the card but it simply used its claws to burst each one before it could be enveloped. It took a swipe at Cat Noir, who jumped back into the capybara enclosure. With its attacker out of sight, the panther found itself distracted with the leftover bubbles and played around with them, their floaty shapes safe from the claws now.

"Of course!", Ladybug exclaimed, summoning the Draw and letting the partial transformation take hold. She used the card to draw a handful of bright red balls. She bounced one of them to get the card's attention. Its ears perked up and it approached Ladybug cautiously. She bounced one of the balls towards it and the panther went for it, playing around with it, and the others as Ladybug tossed them around, laughing as she did. Cat Noir rose out of the exhibit he had fallen in and sat on the railing, a bit in awe at what he was looking at.

The panther purred while busying itself with one of the balls, content and satisfied. Ladybug sealed the card with ease after that. The mess the fleeing crowds had left were fixed up right away and Cat Noir walked over to her.

"How did you know to do that?", he asked.

"It didn't seem agitated. It only attacked when you went for it", she said, crossing her arms. "And it was only transforming into animals it saw. I think it was looking for a playmate. All animals need stimulation after all~"

"Hmph. You got lucky this time", Cat Noir said. "Next time I'll be the victor. And I'll probably be taking your miraculous too." With a smirk, he ran off. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Ladybug had been pretty clever. But cats were the most clever creature in the animal kingdom. He just had to be more cunning about how he did things.


	10. The Anti

Cat Noir smirked triumphantly as he sealed the Vanish card. "Better luck next time, bug."

"You wouldn't have gotten that card without my help", Ladybug said, arms crossed.

He said nothing in return, simply giving a bow and then hopping off the balcony the two of them stood on. Ladybug rolled her eyes at his theatrics, choosing to go back inside the hotel, de-transform and take the elevator down. She took a deep breath as she exited. Cat Noir may have gotten the better of her this time, but she was done letting that get her down.

"I'm gonna get them all", she said, mostly to herself but also sort of to Tikki who hid in her purse. "And I won't let him or anyone else stop me."

"That's the spirit Marinette!", Tikki whispered her encouragement brightly.

Marinette smiled and left the hotel. Just a moment after, Adrien entered the hotel to meet up with Chloe. He went up to her suite and knocked on the door, getting about a single syllable out before she grabbing him and pulled him inside, shoving her phone in his face.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Adrien needed a moment to let his eyes focus before realizing he was looking at a picture of himself. Or rather, a picture of himself as Cat Noir. Chloe swiped and now it was a video of him and Ladybug fighting an invisible figure. He didn't understand what was going on. So he asked.

"Um, what's this?"

"That's what I'm asking", Chloe griped. "I have this weird superhero stuff on my phone, but I don't remember recording it. But look! This was at the hotel! Are some freaks running around and playing behind my back?"

"Uh, they could be real heroes...?", he shrugged. Adrien could see what had happened now. He was the one to seal the Vanish. So Chloe's memories of the event had been erased. But all evidence of the card remained. If this is what came of it, maybe he should've let Ladybug take the card. No, that wasn't an option. Every time he came home empty-handed, his father threatened to separate him from either the kwamis, school, or locking him in his room altogether.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this", Chloe said. "Did you know that Cesaire girl has a whole blog for them? Apparently they've been all over the city. So why am I just now hearing about them?"

Adrien kept his mouth shut about how self-absorbed Chloe could be. She was still his friend. Even though she had her faults. He was hoping maybe now that they went to the same school, he could help her with them.

"Maybe you should talk to Alya about these guys. If she has a blog, she might know more", he suggested.

"Ugh", Chloe groaned. "And have to speak with that know-it-all? Or worse, have to deal with Dupain-Cheng? No thank you. I was thinking you and I could handle this ourselves Adrikins~", her voice got sweeter at the end.

"Chloe, if these are really superheroes, don't you think that means they're fighting something dangerous?"

Chloe scoffed. "I could do their job in my sleep."

"Is this the only reason you called me over?", Adrien asked.

She ended up occupying his time for about another hour after that for lunch. The next day, after school, Adrien had been looking forward to joining Nino and the others on an outing to a new music store when Chloe clung to him strongly.

"I thought you and I could go shopping today?", she said, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Sorry Chloe, I already have plans today", he said, pointing to Nino, Alya, and Marinette.

"Yeah, Nino's really eager to check out some new tunes, right?", Alya smiled, giving him a nudge.

"What? No, what makes you say that?", Nino asked, expression serious.

"Don't give us that", Marinette said. "You wouldn't stop talking about it this morning. I thought you might pass out from excitement."

Nino shrugged. "It's just a music store. S'not like music's a big deal."

All of their eyes widened at that. Except for Chloe, who was still hugging Adrien's arm and trying to get him to come along with her.

"Did you just say what I think you did?"

"You can't be serious!"

"Are you sick?"

It was then that Adrien and Marinette felt something. And for just a moment, they saw the faint image of something clinging to Nino's shoulders. A card. One that made people act strangely different from normal. They had to be careful.

"Um, you know what? Maybe I should uh, go to the nurse's office!", Marinette exclaimed, slowly backing away. "Yeah, you might need some medicine Nino. Be right back!"

"And I'm gonna get you some water. You're probably dehydrated", Adrien said, running into the school after Marinette.

Nino shrugged, oblivious to the problem. It was barely ten seconds later when Ladybug and Cat Noir appeared on the steps of the school. Ladybug gave Cat Noir a strange look. How is it that he knew about the card almost exactly at the same time as her? Had he been in the area? Did he attend this school?

"You're pretty prompt, kitty", she pointed out.

"It's bad manners to keep a lady waiting", he grinned, giving her a bow.

She rolled her eyes, not noticing how both Alya and Chloe had their phones out and were recording. Trying to put her focus back on the task at hand, Ladybug sensed the card in action again, but this time it was on the move. She froze in place as its power took control over her.

"Ladybug?", Cat Noir called out softly when he noticed the change in her body language.

She didn't answer and instead began spinning her yo-yo menacingly before lunging at him. Cat Noir jumped out of the way, surprised before realizing it must be the work of the card. He and Ladybug didn't get along, but she never attacked him, even when he threatened to take her miraculous. She continued her assault and he dodged and blocked.

He'd always thought it would've been easier to seal the cards when he didn't need to fight her for it. He never imagined a scenario where he'd literally be fighting against her. He couldn't get a moment to breathe like this, much less to perform the sealing ritual. Needing to get some space between them, he made a strategic retreat towards the back of the school. Chloe and Alya followed to see more. Nino, no longer under the card's spell, followed in case Cat Noir needed his help again.

Cat Noir was able to put some distance between himself and Ladybug, even then, it was hard to seal when she kept moving. He had to get her to sit still and possibly subdue her somehow. He was about to perform a fusion when he saw his three friends come onto the scene. He really hated putting them in danger, but he might need some assistance.

"Out of the way, Four Eyes!", Chloe snapped, pushing Alya to the side to see more of the fight happening on the school's field.

Cat Noir had a lot of things to think of at once. Keep damage to a minimum since he would be sealing the card. And that meant everyone's memories would be erased of this event but anything that got messed up would stay the same way. And he didn't want to hurt Ladybug. Violence was out of the question. He jumped to the roof and ran to the door that led into the school. He opened it and then hid on the other side.

When Ladybug followed him, she ran right into the school, momentarily fooled by his trick. He went back outside and saw that Alya and Nino were rushing inside on the first floor while Chloe was done with running. That made the choice easy then.

"Hey, you", he said, jumping and landing right in front of her, causing her to flinch away in shock.

"Wh-what do you want?"

"You look like a decent enough person. Wanna be a hero for a day?", he asked with a wink.

"You're...picking me?", Chloe asked in disbelief.

Cat Noir nodded. "But only if you want to." He pulled out the bee miraculous. "And only if you can promise me you'll return this once the job is done. I can't do this on my own."

"Well of course, if you need my help that badly", Chloe's expression turned to one of haughtiness. She accepted the honeycomb, eyes widening at the little creature that appeared before her.

While Cat Noir was explaining the powers and abilities of the bee, Ladybug was still running around the school. Her usual sharp focus and quick wit was replaced with a short attention span and dull observation. With her opponent gone, she had no goal, but still behaved very un-Ladybug like. She was in the middle of tossing lunch trays in the cafeteria when help finally arrived.

"Stop right there!", Cat Noir demanded.

"Make way for your new hero, Queen Bee!"

Chloe took to her new persona like a fish to water and immediately started throwing punches at Ladybug. Cat Noir groaned. They had a strategy but really he should have expected this would happen. He tried to direct the students out before joining the fray. Two on one, it was much easier to take on Ladybug but the card seemed to be using her to full power.

"Remember the plan, Queen Bee!", he reminded her, trying to get Ladybug to focus on him.

"Oh! Right!" She backed off then, waiting for an opening.

Were she herself, Ladybug might've split her attention to keep them from trying anything. But she was the opposite of herself now. So when she turned herself fully to Cat Noir in order to fight him, she didn't noticed Queen Bee coming up from behind.

"Venom!"

Pricked by the stinger, Ladybug froze in place like a statue. Her expression was blank, as if she wasn't even there. Having finally stopped her, Cat Noir performed the seal and let out a sigh of relief as the Anti card floated into his hand.


	11. The Puppet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally off hiatus! how have yall been?

The past couple of weeks had been card-less which felt like a nice break for Marinette. In that time she had learned that Adrien loved rom-coms, completed the design for a dress idea, and noticed Chloe was acting suspiciously nicer. Not all the time but at the very least she didn't go out of her way to antagonize Marinette or any of their classmates.

In that time, they were also gearing up for the school festival. And their class was doing a play. It was a classic "prince saves princess from evil witch sort of story" and the roles had all been chosen by random draw.

Most of the costumes had been drudged up from the theater department, a few bought from a store, and pretty much all of them had been touched up by Marinette's magic hands.

"Wow! These look amazing now!", Adrien exclaimed, twirling around in his green dress.

"Really? You think so?", Marinette blushed.

He swished the skirt around. "I feel like a true princess."

Max nodded in approval. "When you dress the part, you feel the part", he said.

Both Marinette and Adrien looked at the beret atop Max's head and hid snickers behind their hands after sharing a look with each other. In addition to helping with costumes, Marinette was playing the part of the evil witch. And Rose as the prince rounded out the main trio of characters. The others played minor roles or helped with the backstage parts of production.

Tonight, was the final dress rehearsal. Marinette had done the finishing touches on most of the costumes yesterday and everyone was trying them on now. Max sat in the front row, script in hand and rolled up to act as a bullhorn so that he could project and direct as he needed.

"Alright everyone! From the top!", he shouted.

Sabrina stepped out, twirling across the stage in a simple white dress and tights. It was cute, but not altogether eye-catching, as she was simply the narrator of the story. After she gave the exposition, the first scene began. They went through the whole play, Max giving direction and tips here and there was they acted it out. There were still a few things to fix, like Kim forgetting his one line and Adrien twirling just a bit too much now that he had a dress on.

But all were minor details in the big picture and they were ready to call it a night. Everyone helped pack up and make sure things were ready for tomorrow. Even Chloe helped hang up the costumes.

As Marinette was about to leave the auditorium, she thought she felt a presence. Something pulled at her. But she shook it off, thinking it was just nerves, and went home.

* * *

"Everyone get ready to take your places!", Max shouted backstage as everyone scrambled.

Tonight was the night and everyone was excited. Even Adrien was eager, although his father wasn't going to be in attendance. He was just happy to be doing a regular school activity with his friends. The auditorium was still empty, the parents and teachers enjoying other student exhibits before the designated showtime. Marinette felt that strange feeling again and something told her to check the stage.

She was only partially dressed in her role as the witch, in a deep purple gown. The evil looking crown and cape were still on the hanger as she walked from backstage to the front. There, she found Sabrina, twirling around as if she was practicing. Marinette almost thought nothing of it, but then noticed how the movement was slightly off. Every few steps, Sabrina stumbled, even though she had been practicing day and night. Marinette walked closer to see what was the matter and that was when she saw the dead look in Sabrina's eyes. They looked like doll's eyes.

"S-Sabrina? Are you okay?", she asked.

Sabrina didn't respond, continuing to instead dance and do the motions of her narration. She even began to speak it, although her delivery was a little monotone. Marinette was about to call out to her again when Adrien came out to do his part. Marinette put a hand on his shoulder and tried to shake him out of it.

"Adrien? What are you doing?" The play hadn't actually started yet and they were done rehearsing. But he continued as if he didn't hear her. Sabrina started up again and Marinette saw that her movements and voice were even more robotic. Just as she was realizing this was the work of a card, the rest of the class came onto the stage, moving like dolls under the command of someone else. The doors to the auditorium would be locked from the outside until it was fifteen minutes to showtime. And that meant that Marinette couldn't count on Cat Noir coming in to provide assistance.

She went backstage to where her purse was and let Tikki out so that she could transform. When she came back to the front the whole class was moving stiffly and it sent a shiver up Ladybug's spine. It was hard to fight an enemy she couldn't see so she attempted to speak with them again.

"Alya, listen to me. You've got to snap out of it. You've got to tell me what's going on with you."

Alya ignored her, enacting an imaginary scene with Juleka. Everyone else was in the middle of their own thing, not even reacting to the fact that a girl in a polka dot supersuit had appeared in their midst. Ladybug probably could have transformed right in front of them and no one would have bat a lash at her.

"Everyone needs to get a grip on themselves!", Ladybug shouted.

That got their attention.

Every single one of them stopped and turned towards her. The smiles dropped from their collective faces.

"I just want to play", they said in unison.

"'Play'?", Ladybug repeated.

"Come and play with us."

Suddenly they all descended on her, hands reaching out to grab at her. Ladybug jumped into the air, there, she saw something in the light as she looked down. The thin sort of thing that was hard to see unless you were looking at it from the proper angle.

"Of course!"

She landed off to the side and took out the Draw card. She used it to draw a large pair of scissors and cut the multitude of strings she saw hanging on her classmates. They all fell to the floor, limp and the strings hung in the air, useless.

"Card of awesome power! I, Ladybug command you. Return to your true form!"

The strings disappeared and the card appeared in Ladybug's hand. The Puppet. She was in the middle of being captivated by the power of this card when everyone came to their senses.

"Did we all just have the same crazy dream about being puppets?", Kim asked, rubbing his head.

"Ladybug?", Adrien called out softly when he saw her.

Her eyes widened when she realized she was still in hero mode in front of everyone. "Uh, I hope everyone's okay!", she squeaked before making an escape, getting away before anyone could ask any questions. With no one to provide an answer, the rest of them got up and made sure everyone was alright before returning to their preparations.

"Wait, where's Marinette?", Alya asked, looking around.

"Here I am!", she exclaimed, panting as she came running in. "I uh, I went to the uh, bathroom. Did I miss anything?"

"Uuuuhhhh", Alya stalled, unsure of how to explain what had just happened.

"Forget it! We've got five minutes 'till curtain!", Max shouted. "Everyone get ready!"

Thankfully, the play went off without a hitch and Marinette's magical secret was safe for another day.


	12. The Illusion

Marinette needed an opening to transform and capture this card. Unfortunately, Cat Noir was glued to her side. She had been in the library with Alya and Juleka, working on a group book report when the pages flew from the book and surrounded them. Then suddenly they were in the countryside at a farmhouse, exactly as the book they'd been writing about.

The scenery eventually changed from that to a castle, then a spaceship. The three of them ran from gunman, guards, and now an alien. Cat Noir appeared and fought off the beast long enough to allow them to escape. He then caught up with them and was trying to lead them to safety.

"There's gotta be a place where you guys can wait out the fight", he said, trying to figure out this labyrinth of a spaceship.

"So cool", Juleka said when the alien, gloopy and purple, snuck up on the group and grabbed her with one of its tentacles.

It ran with her and took off, despite Cat Noir's protests. He grit his teeth and then took a hold of Marinette and Alya's wrists to lead them further down the hall.

"What's going on here?", Alya asked, pulling her hand away as they turned a corner. "A ton of weird stuff has been happening lately and I know enough to know that you and that Ladybug have something to do with it. It's time for some answers."

"Trust me, I wish I had the time. But I've gotta get you two out of here." He peeked around the corner, trying to keep an eye out for the alien. He knew the card was making their surroundings. But their form was probably concentrated on the monster chasing them.

"That's a convenient excuse", Alya said, hands on her hips.

Cat Noir turned back to her, meaning to set the record straight, when he realized they were one person short.

"Wait, where's Marinette?"

Alya turned and saw it was just the two of them. "Did the monster get her? We've got to find her!"

"You stay here! I'm going alone", Cat Noir said.

He ignored Alya's protests and went in the direction the monster must've taken Marinette. But instead of an alien whisking her away, he found her alone.

"What're you doing?", he asked.

"I'm uh, I'm just uh-"

"Don't you realize how dangerous this is? Why would you go off alone?!"

"I'm was going to get someone. I'm trying to help", Marinette tried to explain.

"I don't need any help!", Cat Noir shouted. He took a step back when he saw Marinette flinch. "I just...I can do this on my own. You're just a civilian, you need to trust me."

Marinette reached out and put a hand on his arm. "I think you need to trust others. Maybe someone else has the right answer."

Cat Noir had been trying not to hand out miraculous too often. His father had told him that Agrestes were soloists. He shouldn't need anyone to help him capture a card. But he found that he worked even better with a partner. Carapace and Queen Bee had been perfect complements. He could even admit that sometimes Ladybug was an appreciated assistance.

He looked to Marinette. He knew her. He knew that she was great at working with others and uplifting them. If anyone deserved to fight by his side, it was her. And yet something made him hesitate. He couldn't ask to put her in harm's way, to put her life on the line.

"Please, just...", he almost asked her to stay put but then he realized Marinette wouldn't follow that. "Just be careful. Hopefully I can keep the alien's attention while you look for a way out."

Marinette nodded and then ran off, going to get the help she knew they needed. Cat Noir turned back the direction he came and thankfully found Alya still waiting there. Her arms were crossed and she looked like she still expected him to give her answers.

"I can't tell you everything right now. But I can say that I need your help." He presented a fox tail necklace to her.

* * *

Ladybug had found the center of the card, which of course happened the be the bridge of the ship. There, the alien had stuck Juleka to the wall with its goo and was now shooting the substance at Ladybug. She was trying to figure out how to defeat it, which card would be the best. But she couldn't even figure out exactly what the card was doing.

Did it throw them into a storybook world? A dream world? Just as she thought to maybe try blowing it away with the Storm, a rough looking woman barged through the doors, a huge gun in hand. She pointed it threateningly at the alien, who cowered in fear. While it was distracted and defenseless, Cat Noir shot out from behind.

"Return to your form!", he commanded, laying down his staff and sealing the card.

As the card was sealed away, everything around them faded away and they were back in the library, although in a completely different part from where they had started.

"Huh? What? But how?", Ladybug asked as she saw a fox hero stride over to Cat Noir and give him a fist bump.

"Sometimes fighting fire with fire works", Cat Noir said, showing the face of the card. "And that meant fighting an illusion with an illusion, thanks to the lovely Rena Rouge~" He took the new hero's hand and kissed the back of it.

Ladybug frowned at the two of them and rolled her eyes. But she couldn't fault him for getting a partner involved. She had pretty much suggested it after all. The only one not in the loop right now was Juleka, who lamented the loss of the awesome looking monster.

"Thanks for saving me, I guess", she shrugged.


	13. The Freeze

When Adrien asked the others about the library incident later, Juleka couldn't recall much of anything. Of course Alya feigned ignorance and Marinette he knew truly didn't remember anything. His powers as Cat Noir made it so no one remembered card incidents. It seemed at first that Juleka had remembered, but perhaps with her being right in the thick of things, his abilities had a delayed effect.

However, there was also the reasoning that she could be lying about forgetting.

Fighting with a miraculous made one immune to the memory wipe. That was how Adrien knew that Alya, having fought beside him, remembered everything. And there was only one other person out there with a miraculous - Ladybug. When Adrien looked at Juleka, he didn't see that many shared traits from his rival. But then again, he and Cat Noir didn't look the same at a glance either.

He tried remembering where Juleka was during other card battles, but he didn't really pay much attention to exactly who was where. Only that the fights were kept away from civilians as much as he could manage. But from now on, he was keeping his eye on Juleka.

"You don't really think Miss Gloom and Doom could be Ladybug, do you?", Plagg asked as Adrien got ready for the day.

"People's personalities have a tendency to change under the mask", Wayzz said.

The other kwamis looked at Adrien with knowing looks. And he simply looked back, confused at what they were all thinking before explaining his reasoning.

"They both have dark hair. And she might not have an alibi for those other times. If I can find out who Ladybug is, maybe I can convince her to give me the cards she's captured so far and her miraculous."

Longg floated to Adrien's side. "You really think she'll just give it up?"

"I've gotta try. And today is perfect, I can watch her all day."

For today was a field trip today. And before loading up on the bus, they were allowed to pick their buddy. The person they were designated to help keep an eye on. Adrien almost immediately attached himself to Juleka.

"I'd like to be paired with you Juleka, if that's okay", Adrien said.

"Uh, I usually, mm, Rose and I-"

"It's okay, Jules. I can pair up with someone else for today", Rose said.

Juleka didn't protest much after that. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with Adrien. She just found it weird that he was suddenly taking an interest in her. They hadn't really spoken to each other since he transferred in. Maybe he was trying to expand his friend group? She still didn't understand how that would include her. They got on the bus and sat next to each other.

The class was on its way to the museum of natural history. They had an assignment to pick an exhibit and write a report on it. When they arrived, everyone split in their pairs to find something interesting. Marinette and Alya went to check out the dinosaur bones. Nino and Rose decided to go to the butterfly exhibit. Chloe actually asked if Sabrina wanted to go see the large diamond being shown on the third floor with other gemstones.

"What do you wanna check out, Juleka?", Adrien asked.

Juleka shrugged. "Whatever's fine."

He had tried asking her questions on the bus about the heroes that had come to their town. But as people could hardly get a glimpse of them, there wasn't much to go on, so Juleka didn't have a lot to say. She did say she liked the black catsuit.

"How's about we go to the insect room?", he suggested. He might be able to organically insert ladybugs into the conversation there.

Juleka remembered she saw Rose going towards the butterflies. That suited her just fine. She didn't like all bugs, but a lot were really fascinating. The two of them walked on over and peered into the glass where specimens, some replicas, some real and living, were arranged. Adrien tried thinking of more things to ask her while also keeping a head for his actual assignment.

As important as the mission for the cards were, his father would pull him from school if he thought he was slacking on his grades. They looked at centipedes, spiders, moths, and eventually found their way to the butterfly room.

"Rose?", Juleka called out when she saw her back.

Rose didn't turn around at the sound of her name and Juleka walked over to her. She moved in front of her and saw that Rose was...still. And stiff. Her eyes didn't move in recognition of Juleka.

"What are you doing?", she asked.

Adrien approached and smiled. "I get it. Rose, you turned into one of the exhibits, right? I used to play this game in museums with my mom."

"No, she's..." Juleka looked closer and saw a thin sheen over Rose's entire body. She poked and felt a cold shell. "She's frozen."

They heard the sound of ice and turned to see Nino frozen in mid-step, his casing a little thicker than Rose's. The sound came again and now one of the museum docents was covered entirely in a block of ice. Before Juleka could ask what was going on, Adrien grabbed her hand.

"Stay with me!", he said as he bolted from the room.

He realized he had a bit of a problem. If he was keeping an eye on Juleka to confirm that she was Ladybug, he wouldn't be able to transform. And he couldn't capture the card without a miraculous. The ice stopped freezing individual people and started to creep all over the place. Adrien didn't stop until they were on another floor altogether.

"Sure could use a hero right about now", Adrien said, hoping that prompted Juleka to reveal herself.

"Do you think they can save Rose? And everyone else?", Juleka asked.

"Of course. They always do, even if we don't see it." It felt weird encouraging his rival, but maybe that confidence boost would make her feel empowered and trusting enough to transform in front of him.

"You two need to get back!", Ladybug ordered as she swung down from the balcony of a higher floor. The ice followed her, albeit not as quickly as her. "Get outside!"

Juleka grabbed Adrien this time and pulled him along while he was doing double-takes. Ladybug was here! But Juleka was also here!

"But...but...but wait!", Adrien said, digging his heels in as they got close to the museum entrance. "I've...I've gotta make sure the others are okay. They might need help."

"Shouldn't we let the heroes handle that?", Juleka pointed out.

"Even heroes need help", Adrien said before jogging off.

Ladybug was trying to think of how she could defeat an elemental force like ice. Maybe with the Storm? It very much came in handy the most often it seemed. Maybe if she used the copy, the could freeze the ice in its tracks and capture it? No, even if this was magic, that didn't make sense. The only thing that did was to stop it from freezing people. Which meant she needed to turn up the heat.

"Draw!"

Using the artistic power of creation, Ladybug sketched out a giant heat lamp. The ice dripped and soaked as it melted. She could feel it weakening just as Cat Noir came in and looked around.

"Well would you look at that. I knew I was too hot to handle."

"Yeah, maybe your tuna breath is at least", Ladybug smirked before swinging her yo-yo around and capturing the card, returning everything back to normal in the process. Everyone's ice prisons melted and the water on the floor and artifacts dried up.

Cat Noir sighed and slumped a little. Not only had he not gotten any closer to figuring out Ladybug's identity, he had missed out on a card. And what seemed to be a rather powerful one at that.

"You know you're just prolonging the inevitable", Cat Noir said. "I will get all of the cards AND your miraculous one day."

"We'll see about that", Ladybug said back.

The two of them stared each other down for almost a full minute before they ran in opposite directions. On the bus back, Adrien still spoke with Juleka, although it was about how they should write about ants. A rather industrious creature.

"You sure you wouldn't rather do a report on Ladybug?", Juleka asked. "You seemed pretty interested in her."

"Adrien, you're interested in Ladybug?", Marinette asked, having overheard.

"Uh, well, isn't everyone? Don't you ever wonder who she is?", Adrien asked, trying to deflect from himself.

"I...never thought about it", Marinette answered honestly.

Because she already knew. But Adrien had never seemed too keen. Especially compared to Alya. Marinette reminded herself to be on her guard. She didn't know who Cat Noir was. She had doubts about him being someone she knew but he had to be someone who lived in this town. Possibly someone who went to her school. If she let it slip to anyone, even Adrien, that she was Ladybug all of her secrets could be blown wide open.


	14. Chapter 14

Adrien hadn't given up on finding Ladybug's true identity. In addition to the cards, his father required all of the miraculous. And Adrien couldn't let him down. Meanwhile, Marinette had no idea that Cat Noir was trying to find out who she really was. Even so, she remained on her guard. No one could find out she was Ladybug, whether they were involved in the conflict or not.

But, while they both had heavy burdens on their shoulders, they were still kids. And they were still allowed to enjoy themselves. Which was why they were at the beach with Alya, Nino, and Chloe. Marinette had been surprised to see Chloe come out of the car with Adrien when they arrived.

"What's she doing here?"

"I'm spending the day with my Adrikins. You got a problem with that Dupain-Cheng?"

"Guys? Can't we get along? It's my first time coming to the beach with friends", Adrien said.

Chloe and Marinette both deflated at that and then looked at each other. "Fine", they both said in unison.

With that decided they got to their beach fun. Chloe went right to sunbathing and Alya laid next to her and the both of them worked on their tans while Adrien, Nino, and Marinette played in the water. Adrien had an olympic sized pool at home and had vacationed on private beaches, but they didn't hold a candle to this. Splashing around with his friends like this was better than he could have imagined.

After frolicking in the waves, Alya came up to the shore with a ball. "Who's ready for some beach volleyball?"

"Only if you're ready to get owned", Nino taunted.

"Oh, you're so on!", Alya grinned.

On one side of the net was Alya and Marinette. On the other side was Adrien and Nino. Alya started with tossing the ball and the game began. They hit the ball back and forth, the game getting more intense and competitive as it went on. Soon they were diving right into the sand. Adrien hadn't played this roughly in years. The sand was rough and sometimes it got into his mouth and yet he was having the time of his life.

Even when Alya and Nino tapped out to grab them some drinks, Marinette and Adrien went on. At some point, Chloe took notice and walked right up to them. When she challenged Marinette, Adrien pointed out that 2-on-1 wouldn't be fair.

"I don't mind", Marinette said. She figured Chloe would be dead weight anyway. And thanks to Cat Noir and his partners, she was used to being outnumbered.

"Don't underestimate me Dupain-Cheng."

Marinette served the ball and to her surprise, Chloe returned it with precision. The match went on and while Adrien provided assistance, it was mostly Chloe vs Marinette. After a couple rounds, they were panting.

"Tired yet?", Chloe asked.

"Not...not even close", Marinette said, wiping the sweat off her brow.

"Guys! Put that on pause and grab some lunch!", Alya called out.

"Truce?", Chloe asked, hands on her knees.

"Truce. Just until after lunch."

They joined the others under the beach umbrellas to catch their breaths and eat. Marinette had brought some sandwiches and chips while Nino brought the drinks in a cooler. Chloe waited for her butler to serve her some surf and turf. After eating, Chloe and Nino relaxed a bit, resting their eyes, while Alya and Marinette turned Adrien into a sand merman.

"How are you doin' Adrien?", Alya asked as she patted the sand down around his body.

"I feel like I'm wrapped in the biggest, warmest hug ever", Adrien replied in a dreamy voice.

Marinette smiled. Adrien looked so content, almost like he could fall asleep like this. When they finished with his tail and seaweed hair, they took a bunch of pictures. Their bellies settled a little, they all went back into the water, even Chloe this time, claiming that her hair was already a mess from the volleyball game, so a bit of seawater wouldn't hurt.

But even during the fun, Marinette and Chloe couldn't help starting a splash fight that got, like most things they did, rather competitive. It start with little splashes, then little squirts using their hands. Then it turned into a full-on dunks.

"Take that Dupain-Cheng!", Chloe said, pushing Marinette's head underwater.

Marinette easily brought her head back up and just as easily lifted Chloe up into the air and tossed her entire body. "Take that!"

Chloe sputtered but wasn't one to be outdone, pushing waves into Marinette. The others joined in and at one point, Adrien grabbed Marinette but lost his footing in the current and they both went under. Their eyes were wide as they held their breaths. Her dark hair flowing around her and crystal blue eyes, Adrien could imagine for a moment that Marinette was the true mermaid.

Meanwhile, Marinette was caught up in the way the underwater sunlight reflected in Adrien's green eyes. Even when they came up, gasping for air, they were staring at each other. Although now it was because both of them had hair hanging over their eyes like a thick curtain. With some giggles, they pushed their hair out of the way.

"There's one more thing I want to do to make this day perfect", Adrien said.

"And what's that?", Marinette asked.

It was to build a sandcastle. Marinette helped Adrien with it as the sun got a little lower in the sky. Alya and Nino decided to go on a little beach stroll. And Chloe was off with her butler trying to take the perfect selfie to make her followers jealous.

"We make a pretty good team", Adrien said as their castle came together.

"Well, it's mostly you", Marinette said. "You're really good at picturing a nice castle and bringing it to life."

"Yeah, but you're the one with the technical expertise", Adrien said. "I haven't made a lot of these in my life."

Marinette smiled. "The trick is to use sand that's only slightly damp. Just wet enough to mold but dry enough to be structurally sound."

Adrien patted the excess sand off his hands and took a step back to look over their work. It was a simply enough base, but it was made more unique with the shells Adrien found and a particularly well made tower.

"What do you think, Foreman Marinette? Is it up to code?"

Marinette tapped her chin. "Just about. But it's missing what ever masterpiece needs. Our signatures."

She took her fingers and signed in the sand right next to the castle. Adrien beamed and did the same. They took a picture, both of just the castle and the two of them with it.

"There! A perfect end to a perfect day", Marinette said as she showed him the picture, getting in close.

"It really is", Adrien replied.

The two of them sat on the edge of the shore, the water lapping at their feet as they looked on to the horizon. The day had been filled with excitement, but now they were just taking it all in and appreciating the tranquility of the ocean. Adrien looked to Marinette out of the corner of his eye. He thought about how amazing she was and how she'd fit right in with the other miraculous holders he had chosen.

He started to think about the right one for her. Longg was very traditional, and Marinette liked doing things by the book. Kaalki was dignified and Marinette had a similar aura around her. As Adrien went through all the kwami and powers that might fit his friend best, he could help the conclusion he came to. Marinette was good at so many things and good at rallying others.

She would have made a perfect Ladybug.


	15. The Silence

"You're going to have to do better than that!", Cat Noir taunted as he watched Ladybug struggle with the card.

Ladybug grunted as a pillar of sand pushed down on her. She was using her yo-yo to shield herself and so she couldn't activate one of her cards without being drowned. She was pinned down and Cat Noir was just being a heckling audience.

"If you can do better, go ahead!", she challenged.

Cat Noir grinned. He was definitely getting this card. The only cards he had so far that could physically effect someone were the Bubble and the Blade. He needed more offensive cards. And it looked like this one could actually give Ladybug trouble if he used it properly.

"Blade!", he summoned, transforming his staff into a fencing rapier.

He lunged at the pillar and sliced at it several times, cutting right through. The blade was sharp and deadly. But after a moment, the sand went back to what it was doing, unbothered.

"You're going to have to do better than that!", Ladybug shot back.

"Why don't you come up with something original?", Cat Noir said as he sliced at the sand again as it reached out for him.

He dodged, hating to admit that Ladybug was right. So he didn't. Instead, he was changing tactics. And that had nothing to do with her. He put away the Blade card, turning his staff back to normal. Meanwhile, Ladybug had gotten the chance to pull out the Storm. If she could blow the sand away, that might weaken it. Her outfit transformed but before she could do anything, parts of the sand were snatched up in big bubbles.

Cat Noir's staff had turned into a giant bubble wand and he swung it this way and that. Giant bubbles floated from it, picking up the sand and dividing it. Weakening it. Ladybug couldn't use the Storm to blow anything away now. If she did, that would just ruin what Cat Noir was doing and the sand would be free to wreak havoc again. She could do nothing but watch as he captured the Sand card.

He brandished the card with a triumphant flourish. "How's about that? By my count, we're officially tied."

"By my count, you could use a few more brain cells", Ladybug said, arms crossed. "What if one of those bubbles picked up somebody?"

"I would've handled it. Like I always do. Don't you think it's about time you gave up your miraculous and your cards? I've been picking up your slack for a while now."

Her jaw dropped. "Picking up my-! I'm never giving you my miraculous. I've been given this job and I'm going to see it through."

Cat Noir put his new card away and leaned forward on his staff. "Suit yourself. But you better watch your back."

Ladybug stomped off. The beach trip had been so much fun up until they had been attacked by sand. And she didn't even get the card. After things calmed down, Marinette rode back with Alya and Nino, Alya's mother having picked them up. Chloe and Adrien had left in their own car. She had to hide her disappointment. Since Cat Noir had gotten the card, everyone else at the beach had forgotten about the sand moving on its own.

When she got home, Marinette took a shower and then flopped onto her bed. Tikki floated around her, trying to reassure her.

"Marinette, don't be so down. You can't lose your confidence every time you don't get a card."

"But Tikki what happens if he's right? What if he gets enough cards and is strong enough to take mine away? To take you away?"

Tikki patted Marinette's forehead. "There's only a couple of cards left. We'll figure out things with Cat Noir after that."

* * *

A few days later, Marinette was meeting with Adrien in the library. They had to work on a project together and Marinette couldn't be happier with her partner. At first, she even had trouble focusing on the assignment. It was so hard when there was Adrien's face to look at. But after a while, she was able to get used to it and focus on the work.

It helped that she also wanted to impress Adrien. Since transferring, he'd become one of the top students in the class. But Marinette was no slouch when it came to grades either. And to her delight, since they were in the library, they had to speak quietly. Which meant leaning in close to each other. When they finished and were able to leave though, she was also glad to not have to keep her voice low.

"We finished a lot earlier than I thought", Adrien said as he stretched outside.

"Yeah, we make a great team", Marinette smiled.

"We sure do", Adrien agreed. "Since it's still early, wanna grab a quick bite at the mall? It'll be my treat."

Marinette squealed on the inside, but on the outside she was able to keep it together and simply nod. "That'd be great!"

They walked over to the mall together. The sounds of hundreds of people shopping a stark contrast to the quiet of the library. But otherwise used to the cacophony, neither paid it any mind. At the food court, Adrien went up to a counter and got them both some bubble tea. As they sipped, they walked around, passing by an area meant for children to play.

It was obviously the loudest part of the mall and Marinette was glad to be walking away from it. Then slowly the children's voices disappeared. Their parents' voices began to raise and then theirs' disappear as well. Both Adrien and Marinette turned as things got strangely quiet behind them. Children and adults, mouths wide open trying to make a sound but nothing coming out.

"What's going on?", Marinette questioned, although she had a pretty good idea.

Children were crying in confusion but despite the tears running down their faces they were silent. Marinette walked up to one who was without a parent, trying to console them.

"Don't worry, it's going to be okay. We'll-", before she could finish that statement, a small little orb popped from between her lips and flew away. And her voice was gone.

"Marinette!", Adrien came over to her side. He had seen not only the bauble of light which must have been her voice, but he'd seen a transparent ghost-like thing take it away. Not that he could tell Marinette that. She tried to speak but it was for naught.

"I'm going to go and find security", Adrien said. "Stay here, I'll be back."

Marinette nodded, remaining rooted long enough until Adrien was out of sight. She bolted to a bathroom and transformed. She had seen the silent ghost stealing voices as well. She didn't know why it was doing this, but she was going to stop it.

Meanwhile, Adrien was panicking because he had no idea how he was going to fight this thing. This card looked completely intangible. He couldn't imagine any of his cards working on it. And as for the other miraculous he held...it would be a tough call. He could combine to become more powerful, but which ability would be useful here? None of the other wielders were around, so he couldn't count on their help. Could he actually offer one to Marinette?

He'd been thinking about it. But he still couldn't decide which would work best for this situation. He had to go at this alone. At least until he could be more decisive about what to do. After transforming he came back out in the open to see that now crowds were without their voices. This card was working fast. He saw Ladybug trying to corral people in one direction, probably to keep them out of the way of danger.

"Look at that. You might be better suited to being a crossing guard", Cat Noir taunted.

Ladybug turned and mouthed out 'Cat Noir', which caught him by surprise.

"Your voice was already taken. Guess that means I don't need to hear your nagging."

Ladybug rolled his eyes and lightly tossed her yo-yo, bonking him on the head. Now wasn't the time for jokes. If the akuma was able to effect all these people, it could silence the whole town.

Cat Noir rubbed the top of his head. "You just worry about the civilians, 'kay?"

Ladybug wanted to hit him again with her yo-yo but she was distracted by the ghost appearing again and washing over Cat Noir. He hiccuped and just like that, his voice was stolen. He put a hand to his throat in disbelief, trying to say something to no avail. He started shouting at Ladybug but all she did was playfully raise a hand to her ear.

But their non-verbal banter was interrupted by the alarm sounding. And then that alarm was quickly cut off. Both of their eyes widened. It didn't just effect voices. It could take whatever sound it wanted. Cat Noir was about to take off but Ladybug grabbed his belt. Rushing into things wouldn't solve this problem. And they both had to be focused.

She tried to mime to him that first they have to figure out how to capture this card. She closed her hands together like a trap and shrugged her shoulders. Cat Noir simply smirked and twirled his baton. It was obvious he'd be the one capturing the card. Ladybug rolled her eyes and held her hands up, waiting for him to explain how.

And he did not have an answer for that.

Ladybug facepalmed. How could they stop silence? How could they trap silence? Cat Noir tried thinking as well. It was quite the abstract issue. And he wasn't good at thinking of things like that. He was an expert in things literal. And what was the best way to trap something? With a physical trap. He pulled out the Bubble card but Ladybug shook her head.

There was no way that was going to work. And besides, first they had to figure out how to lure the card to them and away from everyone else. Ladybug grabbed his wrist and pulled him through the hall, all the way to a big music store. Cat Noir plucked a display guitar with his claws. Ladybug shoved a pair of drumsticks into his hand and planted a camera in front of him. He was beginning to see the plan Ladybug was formulating. But there was still the issue of actually trapping it.

He made the same motion with his hands, closing them together in a trapping gesture. Ladybug frowned. She hadn't figured out that part yet. Cat Noir ran his mind through the cards and miraculous he held again but then he realized something.

If he was working with Ladybug, he also technically had used of her cards as well. Cat Noir made a bunch of movements and then suddenly stopped in place, frozen. Ladybug's eyes widened. Would that work? She had said the Bubble was no use but maybe...

The sounds of loud playing were heard coming from inside the store. Attracted to the noise, wanting to quiet it, the card came through and found a bunch of tv screens blaring the same drum performance from Cat Noir. With a quick sweep, it took the sound from the speakers. And for a moment it was silent. Then more noise came from the other side of the store.

The card flew right to Cat Noir who was shaking a tambourine. He played it up before dashing away, leading the card on a chase. The cat and mouse game went on until he brought the card right to Ladybug who was waiting for them. Her outfit this time came with a sparkly tiara, razor sharp skates on her feet, and icicles danging from her hips and shoulders.

On her command, when Cat Noir ran past her, she froze the card in place and when it actually did freeze, she couldn't believe her eyes. But she shook off the disbelief and captured the card. The moment she did suddenly all the sound returned and it was like being dropped in the middle of a concert.

"See?! What'd I tell you?!", Cat Noir shouted, overcompensating. "My plan worked!"

"Your plan!? I'm the one who came up with the bait!", Ladybug pointed out. "Now you see that following my lead gets results."

"You wouldn't have even thought of using the Freeze without me", Cat Noir said.

Ladybug was about to retort when she remembered Adrien. "My friend! We'll settle this later", she said, giving Cat Noir's bell a flick before making her exit.

When she did reunite with Adrien, Marinette pulled him into a hug. She was so glad he was safe. True, that card wasn't incredibly dangerous but it was extremely powerful. And it was hard to switch to nonverbal communication so suddenly. And yet, it was only after their voices were taken that she and Cat Noir had been able to actually work together.

Was it possible for them to be real partners?


	16. Obliviate

Marinette felt dazed and confused. She blinked and looked down at her hands. Spots. She was suited up. But when had that happened? And why? She tried to remember but the memory was lost. It must be because of a card but what had the card been doing?

"Come on! We've gotta get out of here!"

She looked up just as her wrist was grabbed by a guy in a snake costume and he pulled her along. A snake hero? A snake miraculous. Which meant he must be a partner of Cat Noir's. Ladybug pulled her wrist away.

"Who are you and what's going on?!"

"I'm...Viperion. You must've gotten hit. Please, you have to trust me. I'm on your side."

It was strange but just from that, Ladybug felt at ease. She looked into his eyes and they looked familiar. Or at least, they felt familiar. The green eyes reminded her of Adrien. But that couldn't be him behind the mask, could it?

"Just tell me what's going on", she demanded, a little calmer now.

"I was told to come and find you", Viperion said. "I was giving a tour here and people started to forget who they are and where they were."

Ladybug looked around. There were gold albums and wax statues and instruments in glass cases. A music hall of fame. So Viperion was an employee here? Did that mean Cat Noir also worked here? Was that how they knew each other?

"What are you doing with her?", Cat Noir asked, running towards them after turning a corner.

"You told me to find her", Viperion said. "Don't you remember?"

"I don't even remember who you are", Cat Noir pointed accusingly. "But...you have a miraculous." Which must mean he had trusted this person with one.

Viperion hung his head. "You got hit with whatever this thing is too. How am I supposed to help?"

"You can just take us back to that point in time that you saved", Cat Noir said.

"Point in time?", Viperion asked.

"You mean I didn't explain before losing my memory?" Cat Noir facepalmed. Perfect. He couldn't remember the last twenty-four hours and no matter how many times they went back, he wouldn't remember. And whenever he captured a card, people not involved forgot the events. But when Ladybug captured it, everything was righted.

He hated to admit it, but if he wanted to remember Viperion's identity, he had to let Ladybug capture the card. It was the only way to set everyone's memories straight.

"Your miraculous allows you to save a moment and go back to it in case things go wrong", Cat Noir said.

Viperion looked to the bracelet he wore and used his ability to save this current moment. That would help them in the future, but now they needed to deal with this card.

"It's something that makes people lose their memories. That's what you observed?", Ladybug asked.

Viperion nodded. "Some people forget little things. But you guys can't remember most of the day, can you?"

"I still remember my name and powers. And yesterday", Cat Noir said. "The card might be taking at random. But that means it could completely wipe our memories."

Ladybug huffed. "You know, if you were better at this, you could have explained it all to Viperion before we lost our memories. We don't even know where the card is or what form it takes."

"Viperion? Cool name?", Cat Noir grinned before leaning his arm on the other boy's shoulder. "We can handle this Little Lady. Memory or not."

"...Little Lady?"

"Come on", Cat Noir said to his new partner, ignoring Ladybug. "A card like this, we gotta trap quick."

Viperion gave a final look to Ladybug before turning to follow after Cat Noir. He was confused by this situation almost as much as they were. But his had nothing to do with memory loss. In fact, he remembered everything.

"Should we all be working together?", he asked as he walked beside Cat Noir.

"I know I didn't explain things well enough to you so here it is", Cat Noir began. "Ladybug and I are enemies. So we've gotta take care of this card before she can."

Viperion was about to say something else but they came upon a group of students who were all trying to figure out what was going on. Cat Noir could see a ghostly figure hanging over them, thanks to his connection with one of the two most powerful miraculous. Viperion, currently wielding one as well, was able to see it too.

"Stand back", Cat Noir ordered Viperion before jumping into the air to try and attack the card. At the same time, Ladybug swung in from another direction and the two collided, landing on top of the small crowd with groans of pain.

"The card is gone thanks to you", Ladybug frowned.

"Thanks to me? I had it when you crashed into me!", Cat Noir shouted.

The two continued to argue as the card descended onto them and then disappeared. Their eyes went blank, as did the students and when they looked around, Viperion knew they had lost even more of their memory.

"Cat Noir? What are you doing here? Is there a card?", Ladybug asked.

"That's what I'd like to know", he replied.

Viperion activated his power and in a flash, the three of them were back in the hallway they'd met in, discussing the card's abilities.

"It's something that makes people lose their memories. That's what you observed?", Ladybug asked.

It took Viperion a moment to adjust. "Some people forget little things. Other people are missing big pieces. We have to be careful. You two could end up forgetting everything."

"Well, we've got that covered", Cat Noir said. "I don't know you, but I know I must've chosen you, so let's get to work."

"You chose me and then told me to search for her", Viperion pointed to Ladybug.

"If I said that, it was just to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't get in my way", Cat Noir crossed his arms.

"You don't need me to fail", Ladybug shot back. "Don't worry, Viperion. I'm fine working alone."

Ladybug walked off first this time and Cat Noir twirled his baton in his hand. "Good riddance. Now we can get to work."

"Cat Noir, even if you can't remember why you told me to find her, you still told me to do it. I'm going to keep an eye on her", Viperion said.

Cat Noir gave a small frown. "Just make sure she doesn't capture the card. If she does, you have my permission to turn back time as many as you need until I get it."

With that, Cat Noir went down the same hallway as he did before. Viperion knew that soon he'd run into that tour group and if he didn't stop Ladybug, they'd collide again. So he jogged after her and sure enough, she was walking through a nearby exhibition room when he caught up to her.

"So you and Cat Noir are enemies? Not partners?", he asked.

"Exactly. Which makes you my enemy too", she said.

"I don't know what's going on. I only know what I was told."

They came to an opening where the card was hovering over the students and Ladybug started to swivel her yo-yo. Viperion quickly put a hand up in front of her.

"Wait!"

Cat Noir appeared, swinging, but as this card was without a physical form, his staff went right through as he jumped over the crowd. Ladybug's eyes widened and she pushed Viperion.

"Out of my way! You're trying to stop me!"

"No! I-!"

She got past him and twirled her yo-yo around. She caught Cat Noir's foot as he made a jump for the card again and pulled him back. He skidded on the floor and she leapt up into the air to get her chance at the card. Cat Noir got up and extended his staff to throw at her side, making her fall to the floor.

"What's the big idea?!", she shouted.

"I'm not letting you grab it that easily", Cat Noir said.

Viperion hung his head in defeat as the card washed over the two of them again, wiping out more of their memories. A flash, and he was back in the hallway.

"It's something that makes people lose their memories. That's what you observed?", Ladybug asked.

Viperion had a feeling he'd go mad reliving the same conversation over and over. But he'd go crazy more quickly if he had to watch these two fight and lose the same battle. Ladybug walked off on her own again, which left Viperion with Cat Noir. The two boys walked together and this time, Viperion stopped Cat Noir from acting first. But when Ladybug came into the picture, she also missed the card and Cat Noir jumped into action.

The two got in each other's again. And again and again and again. No matter how many times Viperion tried to effect their choices, they always chose to fight each other.

"It's something that makes people lose their memories. That's what you observed?", Ladybug asked.

"What I've observed is that you two make horrible enemies", Viperion said.

Cat Noir's eyes widened. "What?"

"What are you talking about?", Ladybug questioned.

"I've already turned back time a lot. And each time the two of you deter each other, the card gets away. The three of us need to work together if we have any hope. Otherwise you two will just keep forgetting and this card could start causing some real trouble."

Ladybug and Cat Noir both looked at Viperion with wide eyes. Then they looked to each other, feeling conflicted. But wanted the card. But they also wanted to keep their friends and the town safe. And if the card decided to leave the building...

"If he's right, then we've already gone against each other a bunch of times and lost in the process", Ladybug said.

"Doesn't sound like we're making a lot of progress doing things like that", Cat Noir agreed, scratching his head.

"So will you two cooperate?"

Ladybug and Cat Noir nodded. The three of them went down the same hallway this time, formulating a plan before they got to the next gallery room. After getting the students our of the way, they used Ladybug's Copy and Cat Noir's Illusion to fool the card. Cat Noir captured it, only remembering as the Obliviate card floated into his hands that now he'd have no idea of what happened before the card first effected him.

He let out a sigh of defeat at that. Ladybug ran off, cardless and he and Viperion went into a janitor's closet, where Viperion removed the bracelet and revealed himself to be their tour guide, Luka. He remembered that Luka was Juleka's brother. And that he worked here at the local music hall of fame. But Cat Noir for the life of him couldn't remember anything between coming to the hall and meeting up with Viperion and Ladybug. It was all a blank.

"Thanks for the help", Cat Noir said.

"Any time", Luka smiled, returning the snake...and also the mouse miraculous then left the closet to give Cat Noir some privacy and to find his sister and her friends. Luka didn't want to bring up everything he had remembered, fearing it would complicate things. After all, apparently Cat Noir and Ladybug were enemies.

* * *

Adrien could see the ghostly figure flying through his classmates and taking their memories. He went into a bathroom and transformed. He tried to think quickly about what kind of miraculous would work well against a memory loss card. The snake could return them to a moment where they did remember. But the mouse allowed one to make multiple copies of themselves that all worked individually.

If one lost their memory, the others would still have it. Cat Noir took out both miraculous. Everyone had run off to either sit out whatever was happening or get help for the ones who had forgotten. The first person Cat Noir ran into was Luka.

"Perfect timing. You'll do fine", he said.

"I'm sorry?", Luka questioned.

"Here, take the snake", Cat Noir said, handing it off to him. He put the mouse in his hand as well. "I need you to find a girl named Marinette, and give this to her, okay? Find me after. I'm going after what's effecting all these people."

Luka was confused as Cat Noir ran off. Thankfully, Sass was able to at least fill him in on how to transform. Luka did so and then went to find Marinette. He remembered Juleka introducing her friends before the tour started. He saw her turning into a secluded hallway and was about to call out to her when she transformed. Marinette already had a miraculous. Marinette was Ladybug. Viperion looked down at the mouse miraculous in his hand and pocketed it. It was strange for one hero to give this to another, wasn't it?

As he was trying to figure out what to do, Ladybug was attacked by an unseen force and Viperion decided now was the time to act. He could ask questions later. He ran up to Ladybug.

"Come on! We've gotta get out of here!"


	17. Chapter 17

Adrien stood before his father nervously as the cards were inspected. Gabriel went through each one, his expression unreadable. Plagg floated next to Adrien. The other kwamis were away in the miracle box, but they knew as well as Plagg, and as well as Gabriel and Adrien now. All of the cards had revealed themselves and been captured.

But the Agrestes only had half the set.

"If this is all you're capable of, then it appears we have no choice", Gabriel said.

"No...choice...?", Adrien echoed.

"We're close to our goal. We'll just have to approach this Ladybug ourselves and take the cards from her."

"But, father, she only shows herself when a card appears. If all of them have been captured, how do we know where to find her?"

"If she fancies herself a hero, then that means we must play the part of the villains, Adrien."

"But we-"

Gabriel cut him off with a hand on his shoulder. "I know, my son. But it is what we must do if we want to bring your mother back."

* * *

"Are you serious?!", Marinette exclaimed.

"You know I wouldn't joke around about something like this", Alya grinned.

"Yeah, but what's your source? How can we be sure it's true? What if someone is trying to trick _you_?", Marinette asked.

"What kind of person do you take me for? I checked and double checked my sources as a good journalist should. And the facts have been confirmed. Adrien Agreste is so totally into you!"

Marinette raised a skeptical brow. "And your source is...?"

Alya avoided her friend's eyes and instead stared into her latte, whose beautiful flower art was now a distorted mess, thanks to her drinking. They were sitting at a table in a cafe, spending their weekend leisurely.

"Alya..._who_ did you hear this from?", Marinette pressed.

"My source as decided to remain secret."

"That means it's Nino", Marinette confirmed smugly crossing her arms. Then her eyes widened. "That means it's true!"

Now it was Alya's turn to be smug. "I told ya so."

Marinette was about to retort when they heard screams coming from outside. They looked out the window and saw people either being caught up by bubbles, pushed around by large waves of sand. Even worse, Marinette could see the Sword card attacking people in the streets.

"What's going on?"

"The event of the decade, that's what!", Alya exclaimed. "I gotta get this on my blog!"

"Alya wait! It's dangerous!" Marinette chased after her friend who had bolted from the cafe. But Alya was already too far to hear her. Alya was of course excited about what was happening, but she also knew she needed to be away if Cat Noir needed to give her the fox miraculous.

Meanwhile, Marinette found an alley. "Tikki, what's going on? What's Cat Noir thinking?"

"I'm not sure Marinette. You've got to do something but be careful. Cats are known for their craftiness."

"You're right. He must have something up his sleeve."

She transformed and stepped out into the chaos. And because it was so chaotic, she didn't know where to start. She didn't know who needed her help first. It was all too much. So she'd just have to go to the source. Ladybug ascended to a rooftop and closed her eyes, blocking out all of the noise and violence. Instead she focused on Cat Noir.

As Ladybug, she and the holder of the black cat miraculous were connected. Her eyes snapped open as she figured out his location. She swung her yo-yo until she landed near the school. Cat Noir stood at the entrance, staring blankly at her.

"Cat Noir! You better have a good explanation for all of this! You're hurting people!", Ladybug shouted as she stomped towards him.

She was but a couple steps away when she realized something was off about him. But it was too late. Something hard stroke her upon the head. Behind her, Hawkmoth stood, teeth bared in a menacing grin. Cat Noir was beside him, his lips turned down in a frown. The two of them brought Ladybug back to the Agreste mansion, down to the under laid where Emilie Agreste laid in a glass coffin.

Ladybug sat, tied up and still unconscious. Hawkmoth removed the butterfly miraculous, Gabriel Agreste once more. Cat Noir looked down at his ring, gave it a short kiss and then removed it, then handed it to his father.

Without any preamble, he removed Ladybug's earrings and immediately her spots melted away and she was back to her civilian form.

"Marinette!", Adrien gasped.

"You know this girl?", Gabriel asked just as Marinette began to come to.

"She's my...classmate."

"And yet you still couldn't get her cards or her miraculous?"

Adrien shrunk in on himself at his father's disappointed gaze. To think that Ladybug and the other cards had been so close to him the entire time. He watched as she became more aware of her surroundings.

"Adrien? Who is that?", she pointed the question towards Gabriel. "And who is that?!", she exclaimed when she saw Emilie.

"This is my father", Adrien said. "And that's my mother. I'm sorry I had to do this, but it's all to bring her back."

"What are you talking about? Adrien, what are you about to do?"

"Not him, but me", Gabriel said, holding both the ring of destruction and the earrings of creation in both of his hands. Marinette didn't know what was about to happen but she got a very bad feeling about this.

"Adrien, you can't let him do this! I'm sorry about your mother, but this is too dangerous!"

"She's just a girl. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Our plan is close to it's end."

"Adrien, think for a moment", Marinette said. "If he brings your mother back, would she be happy to know what you've done!? What you plan to do?!"

Gabriel brought both miraculous together as he held his hands together, an energy buzzing as they became activated. He began to grin. And then that grin turned manic with the immense power in his hold. Adrien watched as his father snapped. Thought back to everything he had gone through, the brutal training, the exhausting practice with fusing miraculous, isolating him from others, and all to bring back a woman who was already gone.

Adrien looked to Marinette, still bound and looking up at him with pleading eyes. He couldn't meet them, ashamed of himself, of the things he'd done. He pulled out a pair of glasses.

"Kaalki! Full gallop!"

Gabriel hadn't cared to spare Adrien the barest bit of attention. But when he transformed using the horse miraculous, Gabriel finally looked up in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"Voyage!", Adrien shouted, ignoring his father for once.

He disappeared through a portal and Gabriel was still at a loss, but he quickly recovered. "No matter. Nothing anyone can do can stop me now. I am all powerful. I am invincible!"

Marinette watched in despair, fighting against her bonds. She didn't have her powers now and Gabriel Agreste had all of them and Adrien had run off. What was she going to do now?


	18. Master of the Cards

Adrien felt sick to his stomach. He felt ashamed. He felt like running away and changing his name. If he moved to another country, no one would ever know what he did. He could be free of this. But then he thought of Marinette. Or rather, Ladybug. Or rather, Marine-it was just too confusing! He'd spent the past few months seeing Marinette as his friend and Ladybug as his enemy.

But they were the same person.

Marinette the leader was also Ladybug the commander. Ladybug the strict was also Marinette the organized. Marinette the determined was also Ladybug the stubborn. He had seen so many of the same traits in them both that he couldn't believe he'd never noticed it before.

Adrien couldn't leave Marinette behind. And he was beginning to realize that Cat Noir couldn't leave Ladybug behind.

* * *

Marinette wasn't going to give up. This man might have both powers of creation and destruction, but he was still a man. She could still figure out how to stop him, possibly by playing into his humanity. It was obvious that he was doing this all for the woman in the glass casket. And it was possible he thought he was doing it for Adrien's sake as well.

She could imagine how much it must hurt to lose someone. He must still be grieving terribly.

"Sir, you can't do this. If you're planning on bringing her back, there must be some kind of price to pay", Marinette said.

"No price is too great for what I want!"

"Even if it's your son!?" That gave him pause so Marinette continued. "Adrien ran away! He doesn't want to be a part of this anymore!"

"He'll understand soon enough. Even if he doesn't now, he will some day."

"You're lying to yourself. And you've been lying to yourself ever since you started this endeavor. Do you think that _she_ would approve of all of this? After she sees what it's done to Adrien?"

"You know NOTHING!", Gabriel shouted, the force of it knocking Marinette onto her back with a gasp. "You don't know of what I've had to endure! What I've had to sacrifice!"

"And what about me?", Adrien asked, coming out of a portal, still transformed with the horse miraculous. Behind him appeared Queen Bee, Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Viperion.

"What's the meaning of this?", Gabriel asked.

"Father, we have to stop this", Adrien said. "We've been hurting people and it's not right."

"You're all just children!"

Adrien de-transformed and stepped towards his father, completely vulnerable. He held his hand out. "Father, please. Give up the miraculous. It's time to end this."

Gabriel roared and unleashed a blast of energy, pushing Adrien away as he let out a scream of agony. Queen Bee and Carapace rushed to his side while Viperion went to untie Marinette. Rena Rouge charged towards Gabriel. She played her flute, creating copies of herself. They kept Gabriel distracted but he still destroyed them all and hit Rena right in the stomach.

She fell back, hand to her gut. "Ugh, that packs a wallop." She didn't know how Adrien was able to take it without a miraculous to shield him. Once Marinette was free, she went to Adrien's side.

"Are you alright?"

"Marinette, I'm sorry", he groaned weakly.

He sat up slowly and she grabbed his hand. For a moment, it seemed like all was lost. But Marinette felt something pulsing from Adrien's hand. A connection. It felt like something dark and empty...and yet full of potential.

"To destroy is to create something new", Marinette whispered, tightening her hold on his hand.

Adrien's eyes widened. "And to create, one must first destroy."

Marinette helped Adrien to his feet and he reached into his pocket, taking out the cards he had captured. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The cards began to glow and lifted from his hands.

"I release the cards and my claim to them unto you, Ladybug."

The cards on Marinette's person glowed and moved around her along with Adrien's cards. Gabriel, who had been walking towards Emilie's resting place, sensed what was happening and turned.

"What are you doing?! The cards!?"

The others stood behind Marinette and Adrien as the cards melted into an orb of light. It shaped itself into a staff that fell into both Adrien and Marinette's hands. The others lent their power and the other kwamis came from the miracle box to do the same.

"It doesn't matter how many of you are trying to stop me! I won't be denied!", Gabriel shouted.

"We will stop you!", Marinette shouted back. "We know the true power of creation and destruction!"

"We know that to get something you must give up something!", Adrien yelled.

Gabriel shot out a beam but the heroes met it with one of their own, blazing forward from the staff. Gabriel pushed on but faltered as his own power fell in the wake of theirs. He let out a scream as light enveloped him. Tears fell down Adrien's face, as he knew what needed to be done. Gabriel let out one last roar as the light reached its peak and then disappeared, as did he.

All that was left was a card the floated before finding its way to Marinette's hand. It pictured Gabriel Agreste, eyes closed as if he was sleeping. It was titled 'The Obsession'. Marinette handed the card to Adrien and his tears continued to fall. Marinette was the first to wrap her arms around him, and soon the others followed.

* * *

_Two weeks later..._

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around Dupain-Cheng being Ladybug!", Chloe exclaimed. "And who even is this guy?!", she pointed to Luka.

"I'm Luka? Juleka's brother."

"Who?"

"Maybe don't talk so loud about it?", Alya said.

"It's not like it matters anymore", Chloe sighed.

Adrien put his last suitcase in the trunk of a car. His bodyguard and Nathalie were sitting in the front, waiting. Adrien turned to them. Alya, Nino, Chloe, and Luka had come to see him off.

"Where's Marinette?", he asked.

Alya smiled. "She's-"

"Adrien! Wait!"

Marinette sprinted, holding a box in her hand. As she was panting, trying to catch her breath, Nino spoke up.

"So you're really going all the way to England? Dude that's far."

"Yeah, I'll be staying with my aunt. But...it's just for now. I'll be back one day. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that man", Nino said, giving Adrien a fist bump.

Chloe then wrapped her arms tightly around Adrien and made him promise to text her every single day, multiple times a day. Luka simply put a hand on his shoulder and wished him luck and then thanked him for trusting him. Alya gave him a soft punch on the shoulder and told him that he better keep all of his promises. Then the four of them left to give the lovebirds some alone time.

Marinette was blushing deeply when she realized that. Steeling her nerves, she held out the box to Adrien. He took it, and then opened it.

"It's something for you to remember us by", she said.

Inside were a group of mini teddy bears. Each with a mask styled after one of the miraculous holders. Adrien beamed and felt his heart swell with emotion.

"Thank you Marinette", he said, closing the box. "Are you really sure about our arrangement?"

"I trust you, Adrien", Marinette said.

In one of his suitcases sat not only the miracle box, but all of the cards, including his father. However the ladybug earrings remained with Marinette. She knew Adrien would take caution with both items.

"Besides, one day the set will be complete again, right?", she said with hope in her voice.

Adrien nodded and smiled. "One day, yes. One day soon." The living situation he was about to settle into would only be temporary. He'd make sure of it. He'd made a life and friends for himself here and he wouldn't let it slip through his fingers like this. He hesitated for a moment before leaning in and kissing Marinette's cheek.

"I'll come back. I promise."

"I know."

Adrien got into his car and looked back, waving. Marinette did the same until he was out of sight. Only then did she allow her tears to fall. She was sad, but she knew she'd only be sad for a little while. Adrien had promised after all. And Marinette trusted him. So she would wait.

One day they would meet again.


End file.
